Shadow Falls: Raindrops at Twilight
by Micro Magic
Summary: Snow White is a prominent member of his school swim team; he had popularity, friends, and a loving family. Nothing seemed to be missing. But it all changed when he discovers that his parents are in fact his adopted parents. And on top of that, he discovers that he has powers beyond his understanding. To learn about them, he transfers to the magical school: Shadow Falls Academy.
1. Chapter 1

**CHAPTER ONE**

_This fanfiction is based on the urban fantasy novels, Shadow Falls. Everyone please beware that the characters inside are mostly based off of the original series, so only some of the characters come from me. And I do not own this series._

* * *

"What're you talking about?" Snow White asked his English teacher.

He waited eagerly for his answer. More than so, he wanted to get out of here.

"Do you see some weird patterns on people's foreheads when you squint your eyes?" Mr. Richards asked again.

He thought back to this morning when he was eating breakfast and saw those odd scribbles and lines on his mom's forehead. And again when he walked down the halls full of students. Every now and then he saw those images on their foreheads, but only thought he was losing his mind.

He nodded slowly. "Yeah, but what does that mean?"

Mr. Richards twitched his eyebrows at him. "Hm, it seems you're just coming into it. You haven't developed that far."

"What're you talking about?" he asked again, losing his patience.

His expression remained calm. "Have you experienced anything weird lately? Something you can't explain?"

He shook his head. "Not other than the weird patterns."

Mr. Richards sighed and didn't speak for a long minute.

"You know what, Snow? You'd think I'm crazy if I tell you this right now." He drew out a piece of paper and pen from his desk, and started writing. "I'm giving you my cellphone number. I want you to call me if anything else happens. Anything weird. Don't worry, you can trust me."

He held out the paper and flashed a gentle expression.

Snow had no clue what his English teacher was saying, but something about his face said he could trust him. He took the note and left without another word.

_Man, Mr. Richards is weird, _he thought.

His teacher was always kind and caring, and more patient than most teachers at school. Yesterday, Coach Jeffrey gave him a five-minute long speech about his lack of punctuality just because he didn't get to the swimming hall on time. And today, he was ten minutes late for English and Mr. Richards just said, "Glad you're here, Mr. White."

He had always thought of him as the replica of his dad. Both equally kind and patient, and harsh only in times of need. But today, he might have to even out the comparison a little bit.

"Hey, Snow!" Benny Jones - his best friend - appeared behind him and wrapped his long arm around his shoulder. That touch sent a tingling shiver down his shoulder and into his chest. He ignored it.

"So, what did Mr. Richards want?"

"Oh, nothing. Just wanted to discuss my grades."

Face it. His best friend would think he was crazy if he told him something about seeing weird shapes on people's foreheads.

_I want you to call me if anything else happens. Anything weird. Don't worry, you can trust me._

Those words rang in his head.

What did he know?

"What? School's just started, and he's already degrading you? That dude's a wacko."

As much as he felt the same, he didn't want to hear it. "Cut him some slack, dude. He just wanted to discuss my grades from last term and give suggestions to up 'em again."

Benny snorted. "Dude, that man takes education way too seriously."

Maybe.

Then he changed the subject. "Hey, you feel like going to the new arcade? The team's going there after practice."

"Sure."

The rest of the day passed in a blur. Snow and his friends played basketball out on the field for a good five minutes before it started to snow again. Not that it was thick enough to throw snowballs. Perhaps not ever. January snow rarely stuck around long enough to make thick piles in Lake Jackson. That was why he took winter trips to northern Texas with his parents in the past. His late grandma Titania had left behind a house in Fort Worth, and his mom kept it for what she said to be 'personal reasons'. Snow couldn't remember her all that well; she passed away when he was two or three. But he remembered meeting her before she passed away. His blurry memories of the old lady included baking and strawberry-dipped cookies. His mom baked cookies for him, but the taste was never quite as good as grandma's, not that he was complaning.

When school ended, Snow and Benny arrived at the swimming pool with the team for practice.

"All right, everbody!" Coach Jeffrey said aloud. "We're to our first contest this year. And ya'll are gonna work your butts off until we get our hands on that National trophy like we did last year! Is that clear?"

"Yes, Coach!" everyone said aloud.

Snow fought a snort. He was the one who won that trophy for Coach Jeffrey last year and all he got in return was a simple congratulation. After that, he treated him like no one than the trump card he didn't want to use. He'd applied for the role of captain for the team when school started, but the job was given to Oscar Mavereaux.

"He's more experienced and he knows the drills better than you, White. Deal with it," Coach Jeffrey told him when he questioned him.

Snow had thought about resigning from the swim team and join glee club, but that would totally turn him into a geek. It wasn't that he didn't like music or found the glee club members geeky. In fact, he loved it. His mom taught him everything about music, and he had loved it since early childhood. But joining glee club would totally degrade his cool status quo, and he didn't want to become one of those kids whose heads got dunked in the toilet.

And other than music and swimming, there really wasn't any other club that piqued his interest.

So yeah, it was join glee and degrade his cool points or stay on the swim team and put up with an obnoxious jack-ass for a coach for the next three years.

After the basic warm-ups, everyone lined up as they prepared to dive. Coach blew his whistle and then Snow and Oscar jumped in. He swam with all the speed he could exert. He could feel Oscar's speed matching his, and in that moment wanted nothing more than to beat him. His arms and legs moved with the water, his body fluttered.

When he reached the other side of the pool, he flipped his body and swam back toward the other side.

He was swimming at a speed he'd never anticipated. And then, he realized he was doing it: he was beating Oscar Maveraux.

The first emotion that came to surface was astonishment; he had never swam so fast in his life.

A sudden shimmer underwater caught the corner of his sight. A shimmering image. He couldn't make out anything because he was still swimming. That was the last thing he remembered before something solid hard hit the top of his head and everything went black.

* * *

Pain was the first thing that came to his consciousness when he came to. Pain that bumped on the top of his head.

"I think he's waking up," someone said, though the voice sounded distant.

Disorientation reigned the rest of his mind, and it became hard to think. Then it finally came. He had hit his head. Hard. And during practice.

He pressed his hand to where the pain pounded like a swelling bruise combined with a jackhammer.

"You all right?" Benny asked.

He nodded, but it was a lie.

"What happened to you down there, White? You dropped your goggles or somethin'?" Coach asked rudely.

He was hurting too much to be annoyed, so he said, "Sorry, coach."

Something glimmered at the corner of his eye. He turned his gaze to the pool, and saw a glimmering figure move under the water. The speed and way it moved told him it wasn't a reflection of light, but he couldn't see what it was.

"What is that?" he said and pointed to the pool.

"What is what?" one of his teammates asked.

"That!" He pointed and turned to Benny, who looked confused at the water. Couldn't anyone see it?

"White, I think you hit your head a little too hard," Coach said. "Go home for the day."

"But it's right -" He glanced back at the pool, but now it had nothing. "I swear, I just saw a shimmer under the water. It was..." He trailed off.

"White, go home and take some rest."

Snow gazed back at his coach. Then he saw it again. Those weird patterns that swirled around his forehead. He turned to his teammates and gasped. Everyone had the similar patterns attached to their foreheads. It was like he was looking into their brains.

The light in the water caught his attention again.

_Am I going crazy?_ he thought.

* * *

"I can't do it again," Snow told Mr. Richards.

He had taken Coach's advice and left the pool, but decided to go to Mr. Richards for answers.

"Are you sure?" he asked. "It's really simple. Just twitch your eyebrows and look."

He eyed at him suspiciously. "How do you know this?"

"I will explain, but let's try it first."

He huffed and relented. He twitched his eyebrows, and saw it. Mr. Richards's forehead showed a pattern. But unlike the ones he saw before, he had a different one. Something about the scribbles and lines in the pattern told him that Mr. Richards was no ordinary person.

Silence reigned.

"What do you see?" Mr. Richards asked.

"Um... some weird things on your forehead," he answered. "But yours is unlike the ones I saw."

He nodded as if it didn't bother him.

"What is this?"

He took in a deep breath, and didn't speak for a few long seconds. Finally, he did.

"It's a gift that only people like us have. It's used to help us recognize another species."

"Who's _us_?"

Silence reigned again. Snow didn't like it one bit.

"Supernaturals. Mythical beings that you only see in movies and hear in legends."

"Like... witches and angels and stuff?" he snorted. It sounded too crazy not to think of it as a joke.

Except his teacher didn't laugh, and then his own grin fell to the sides of his face.

"Yes. This brain pattern thing allows you to differentiate them. And only supernaturals can do that."

He raised his eyebrows. _No way, these things don't exist,_ he thought.

"So, you're saying you're a supernatural being? And if I can see people's brain patterns, that means that..." He trailed off, and snorted again. "Oh, man, you're more wacko than Benny thinks."

His teacher snorted and looked down on the floor. "I'm not surprised that you react this way." He met his gaze again. "I met your parents on one of the parents meetings, and I saw their human patterns."

Snow shook his head in disbelief. "You are seriously messed up."

Mr. Richards came closer to him. "I can give you proof if you want."

"Okay, prove it."

He backed away a few steps without removing his glance from Snow. Then he hung both hands to his side.

That's when his desk at the wall and the bookshelf on the other side of the classroom started shuffling.


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER TWO**

Snow wanted to look away, but he couldn't.

Something moved out from the shelf and the desk and flew across the room and then landed safely in Mr. Richards's hands. A book and a file. He flipped his hands upside down and the objects fell toward the floor. But then the items froze in midair, inches away from the hard floor and slowly levitated back up. Mr. Richards waved his hands and the objects landed on a closest desk.

Snow found himself staring the whole time, his insides turned and turned again. He could not believe what he saw, but he did. It shouldn't have happened, but it did happen. His head was in a pile of messes.

It wasn't until he choked that he realized he had forgotten to breathe. His knees buckled and his butt landed on a drawer behind him.

"Don't panic, Snow," Mr. Richards said cautiously. "I know how it feels. It happened to me too. I didn't know about my gifts until I was a teenager."

He struggled to breathe evenly and make himself able to think. Then, he started mentally organizing the pile of messes.

First: supernaturality did exist. Second: Mr. Richards was a part of that. And third: according to Mr. Richards, he was part of it, too.

"What are you?" he managed to ask.

Mr. Richards gave him with a genuine look.

"I'm half-fae," he finally answered.

"Fae?"

"French for _fairy_," he explained.

A fairy.

"Am I one, too?" Snow asked.

He shook his head. "No, your pattern's not one I've seen before. It's different. It moves like electrical waves, but very evenly."

Oh God. This was too much. Suddenly he found Coach Jeffrey's distaste and unjust treatment less annoying.

"But I'm not human." He wanted to clarify.

Mr. Richards shook his head. "No. At least not fully human."

Silence reigned again. This time, Snow welcomed it. He needed to think things through.

"Snow, wait." He walked to his desk and put his hand into his coat. "I don't have all the answers, but maybe this will help." He pulled out what looked like a business card and held it out to Snow. The card read _Shadow Falls Academy_.

"What is this?"

"It's a boarding school for supernatural teenagers like you."

"Boarding school? Oh, no. I don't wanna go to some boarding school." He didn't want to accept it. It was coming at him at a rate too fast. "I just wanna stay here, stay on the swim team and win the National trophy... again."

"Snow, I know it's a lot to accept -"

"No, it's not just alot. It's too much. Like all coming at once, I don't wanna accept it."

"Snow! Listen to me," he said loudly. "I'm not saying you have to go to this school, I'm just giving you an opportunity to learn about yourself and a chance to not have to hide. If you're seeing brain patterns now, it's only a matter of time before you begin to manifest other powers. Attend the boarding school or not, that part's up to you. But you need to choose. Think about it."

Snow sighed and hesitantly took the card. Then he took off.

* * *

Instead of going to the arcade for relaxation like planned, he texted Benny and went straight home. There was too much going on, and he wanted to take it in at home.

Wait.

If he was supernatural, that must mean his parents were supernaturals, too. That must mean they would know what was happening to him. He was about to dart all the way back home when Mr. Richards's words came back to him. _I met your parents on one of the parents meetings, and I saw their human patterns._

He didn't understand what was happening. How could his parents be humans? How could _he_ be supernatural? How could there be supernaturals at all?

Of course, he had always believed that there was some mystical force out there beyond the naked eye, but seeing it for yourself was a little too much.

He already had enough problems on his plate. Did he need this too? And even more, did he need to leave everything behind to go to some supernatural school where the real freaks hung out?

The world was crazier than he had ever imagined.

The lights inside his house were on. His mom was already home. The sense of normality filled his chest and made him feel better. He didn't want to think about his newfound realization.

"I'm home!" he called out when he walked into the house.

The smell of pepperoni pasta and fish filled his nose.

"In the kitchen, honey!" his mom called out.

Tucking away his shoes and backpack, he ran into the kitchen and gave her a tight hug.

"Oh! What's the occasion?" she asked.

He pulled away and opened his mouth to speak, but then stopped himself. He didn't want to let it in. The feeling of home and safety filled his chest and he wanted to keep it that way.

So, he decided to stay. But at what cost?

He didn't let himself think that far.

"Just had a rough day," he told his mom. "Kinda hit my head during practice."

"Oh, honey." Her tone rang worry as she rubbed her soft fingers on his head. "Are you okay? How come I wasn't told?"

"Yeah. I'm fine." _I'm fine now._ "It's not a big deal."

She smiled. "Okay. Well, then get your stuff upstairs and get ready for dinner. Your dad'll be home soon."

"Got it!"

With that, he took off.

He was about to enter his room when he passed his parents' bedroom and saw sheets of paper scrambled all around the twin bed. His eyes flickered around the paper sheets and landed on his birth certificate next to his parents' marriage license. He stepped inside and sat on the edge of the twin bed.

He read the birth certificate, and then picked up his parents' marriage license from the scrambled papers. Something else caught his eye then. Right underneath the marriage license he saw another paper.

It was ripped off of an old newspaper. The title read **_ABANDONED BABY FOUND_**.

He picked it up and read it:

**A newlywed couple was taking a late night walk when they heard a baby's cry. They followed the sound and found an abandoned baby boy by the beach. There was no one nearby, and the baby wore nothing. Authorities believe he was deserted by his parents.**

The information filled his head. There were no pictures, but he was afraid he already knew whom it was referring to.

He checked the birth certificate and the marriage license. The dates weren't exactly the same, but they were close. Only one and a half-month apart.

_I saw their human patterns. _Mr. Richards's words repeated in his head.

Oh my God!

That pieced everything together now.

His fingers clutched to the papers as numbness filled them and spread to his arms to the rest of his body.

All he could comprehend was how long his parents had neglected to tell him the truth.

A door opened and slammed downstairs.

"I'm home!" his dad said.

He started downstairs, with the papers in his hand. His mom was handing out plates when he came into the kitchen.

"Mom. Dad." His voice shook.

They turned to him. He held up the papers. "What is this?"

His mom gasped, and covered her mouth as her eyes began to water. His dad just froze. He felt his own eyes begin to sting.

"Is it true? Am I adopted?"

No one spoke. They didn't have to.

He squinted his eyes and saw through his blurry eyes. Their patterns were the same as the ones he saw on his teammates. They weren't his real parents. And he wasn't their son.

He wasn't their son.

He wasn't their son.

The realization came so fast he didn't know he hadn't breathed until he started choking for air. He dropped the papers and stormed into his bedroom. He heard his mom call out to him, but he ignored her. He slammed the door behind him so hard it shook, and twisted the key. He leaned his back on the door and his hands twirled into tight fists. Tears flowed down his cheeks. His chest flamed with overwhelming pain and anger and he wanted to take it out on something. His head bounced back and forth as it tried to wrap around everything he'd just learned.

First, he wasn't his parents' son. Second, he wasn't human. And third, he had no idea what he was. Everything that used to seem so stable and perfect now seemed completely screwed up.

Maybe there really was one thing left to do. He couldn't count on anybody. No one but Mr. Richards. And he was right. He needed to figure this out.

Was he trying to get away from his parents? He had no idea.

But his teacher was right about him needing to learn about himself. And getting into that boarding school will help him do that.

He took out his cellphone and started dialling.

"Hello?"

Mr. Richards answered on the third ring.

Snow took two deep breaths to calm himself.

"Can you help me enroll that school?"


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER THREE**

Two weeks later, his dad drove into the parking lot with a large sign that read _Shadow Falls Academy_.

He hardly spoke with either of his parents - make that adopted parents - for the past two weeks. Nor did he talk to Benny or any of his friends. The only person he talked to more was Mr. Richards, and it was mainly about his enrollment at Shadow Falls.

His parents had tried to talk him out of it, but he told them he needed to figure things out. Mr. Richards managed to persuade them by saying that the school was for gifted teens such as Snow. He just didn't say exactly how gifted he might be.

His dad pulled the car over and turned off the engine. Neither of them spoke or moved.

"Snow," he said after a long minute. "I know you're hurt and you're mad, but please understand that we didn't do it to hurt you. We just wanted to wait until the time was right."

And when would that be?

he thought. "I gotta go. I'll see you on parents day."

Or not.

He left the car without another word and pulled out his luggage.

Then, remembering he should at least offer some manners, he said, "Bye, Dad."

"Why don't I walk you in?" he offered.

"No." He was thin on patience. "I can do it on my own."

His dad nodded. The sad look on his face made Snow want to reach in and hug him and apologize for being such a bad son, but the hurt and anger was still stronger than any other emotion.

"I'll see you."

* * *

A six foot tall, dark-haired man with a large frame for a body waited by the gate. He looked like someone who just fell out of a modeling calendar.

"Hello, Snow," he greeted. "Welcome to Shadow Falls. My name's Burnett James. I'm the vice headmaster of this school. My wife's resting, so she couldn't come greet you until later."

"Pleasure to meet you, sir," Snow said politely.

They shook hands. Snow flinched at the icy cold touch from the vice headmaster's hand. He had never touched anyone so cold. Maybe he went out for a bit and took a hike before he came to the gate.

Burnett twitched his eyebrows and studied his brain. "Mr. Richards's right, you do have an unfamiliar pattern."

He twitched his own eyebrows and studied Burnett's brain pattern. This one he did not recognize. It was completely different from Mr. Richards's. So he must be a different supernatural.

Burnett's furrows hardened. "Is something wrong?"

"No, I'm just still new to the supernatural world," he admitted.

He grinned. "Then I guess you're not familiar with my pattern."

He wanted to deny it, but decided against it. So he nodded.

Burnett looked away for a short second and grinned as if he found the situation entertaining, and then refocused on Snow. "Please, follow me."

He did.

Nature filled the air. He looked around and saw the tall tree lines and green life. The place wasn't just beautiful, it was both picturesque and friendly. He recalled reading about the school's history the week earlier; the facility was once a summer camp. It first became a boarding school last September.

"A camp for troubled teens?" he said loudly when he first read its profile online. "Seriously, Mr. Richards, I thought this was supposed to be a place that taught magic and paranormal phenomenon, not rehabilitate kids with problems."

Mr. Richards shook his head. "This is mainly a cover story to the rest of the world," he explained. "The camp doesn't welcome trouble. They make sure supernatural get the right kind of education, not just about themselves, but about each other. This'll be your first step to learning about yourself, Snow. Besides, it's just one semester, then you can decide to stay or leave."

He snapped out of the memory whilst following Burnett into a small room in an office cabin. A new breeze blew to his face. For some reason, the wind felt somewhat soothing.

Burnett settled down at the desk and pointed to the chair on the other side. "Please, have a seat," he told Snow.

He did.

"Nice office," he said. "I know now why the school was put here."

Burnett sat straight like a businessman. "How much do you know about our school?" he asked.

Snow shrugged and answered honestly, "Not much. Just that it's a place for... supernatural teenagers. And that it was a summer camp before it became a boarding school."

He nodded. Snow continued, "My English teacher told me that I needed to be somewhere where I can learn to be around supernaturals, and learn how to survive in the human world." _That, and I wanted to learn who my birth parents are._

He nodded again.

"Your English teacher told me that you didn't know anything about your powers until two weeks ago, correct?" Snow nodded slowly. "Why do you think that is so?"

The emotional storm he'd been trying to keep low began to rise up to the surface. He took a deep breath to keep himself calm, and offered the one answer he could. "Up until two weeks ago, I never could... look into people's minds. And Mr. Richards told me that my pattern was different."

His eyebrows cringed together, making a dimple into the middle. "Have you shown other signs of being supernatural?"

I wish.

"No. As you probably heard, I grew up in a human family." _One that adopted me._ "Mr. Richards suspected that I might start developing gifts first now."

Burnett nodded. When he didn't speak, Snow started giving out his questions. "Do you know what my pattern signifies?"

He studied his pattern again, and shook his head. "I'm sorry, your pattern's one I've never seen before." He chuckled briefly and then became serious again. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do that. We have a student here who went through a similar situation such as yours. We didn't know what she was, and neither did she."

Didn't know?

"Do you know what she is now?"

He nodded. "Yes. But like I said before, your pattern's unfamiliar, which means you're probably not of the same species."

Species. The word brought him back to his questions.

"May I ask what other species there are out there? I mean, my teacher told me he was part-fairy. Or _fae_, as he called it. He did tell me there are other kinds out there, but he didn't elaborate much."

Burnett looked away as if he was afraid to answer his question. The seconds ticked by and Snow found himself feeling more and more nervous. Finally, he met his gaze again.

"Aside from fairies, you've probably heard of the rest. Vampires, werewolves, witches, warlocks, and shape-shifters."

Okay, that was more than he would've wanted to know.

"We only recently discovered the existence of another species called 'chameleons' - basically, they are a blend of multiple species and share all of their powers."

Snow breathed in and then out, then in and then out again. "And what might you be?"

The man looked him straight in the eyes.

"I'm vampire."


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER FOUR**

Burnett led him to his cabin.

While on the way, a group of teens walked past and eyed at him like the ones they usually gave to an odd new kid at school.

Oh, great, he complained mentally. He was already the odd one on his first day at the new school. Perhaps he couldn't help it. After all, he was going to school with a bunch of vampires, werewolves, fairies and who knows what else. And his pattern signified him as the kid who often got singled out.

He was about to ask Burnett what they were, but the idea of being next to a vampire - let alone talk to one - creeped him out. Maybe he'll get used to it eventually, but until then he will need some time to adjust.

Burnett studied him with the corner of his eye. "Is there something on your mind?"

He considered denying it, but curiosity piqued.

"I was just wondering what those kids were," he answered. "I mean, I saw their patterns, but..." He trailed off.

Burnett didn't answer for a long minute as if considering how to answer him without freaking him out. Finally, he did, "They're werewolves. You'll eventually learn to discriminate between the patterns. Don't worry, we're not as intimidating as you think."

He questioned that, but decided not to say it.

Once they arrived at his cabin, a new question formed in his head and it got out of his lips before he thought it through. "Do I have any roommates?"

What a stupid question,

he thought. But he did want to know if he was rooming with a vampire or a werewolf.

Burnett didn't speak. He just nodded as if he didn't know how to answer his question. And that might indicate he was rooming with both.

"I'm rooming with a vampire _and_ a werewolf, aren't I?" the question escaped his lips before he could stop himself.

The headmaster nodded carefully.

Great. He'll be the first meal on a vampire's or a werewolf dinner list. If one of them didn't kill the other to get to him first.

"Take some rest," he told Snow. "Dinner's at six. It'll be more public and you'll probably feel better when you meet everyone."

Or not.

Snow took the last steps between him and the porch, up the stairs and slowly swung opened the cain door. He leaned his head inward to see if any of his roommates were in. He couldn't be sure, but the cabin seemed empty. Which was fine. He needed some lone time.

He found his bedroom, and immediately stepped in and crashed onto the wide empty bed. He gripped the sheets as frustration ate him from the inside.

He had thought that coming to Shadow Falls would help him figure out what he was, or what he might be. But now, the idea of being here felt wrong. Maybe he wasn't normal, but he could barely grasp the concept. That and the realization of him being adopted made the anger and hurt unbearable.

The memory of the newspaper and the looks on his parents' faces filled his head. It felt like he was inches away from exploding. He punched the bed so hard the wooden bed frame creaked.

The sound of the cabin door swinging brought an abrupt halt to his punching.

"Prob'ly in the room," an unfamiliar deep voice said.

Urgh! Here we go!

he thought and sat up on the bed. Can't someone have their privacy?

A knock sounded on his door. "Hello?"

He took a deep breath and said, "Come on."

A curly brown-haired boy opened the door and stepped inside uninvited with a friendly grin on his face.

"You must be the new guy," he said and offered his hand. "Hi, I'm Frederico Gonzalez. Call me Freddie."

Snow took it cautiously and introduced himself, "Snow."

"Hm, nice name."

It is until you start making fun of it.

Freddie twitched his eyebrows at him and studied his pattern.

"I know. I have a weird brain pattern."

Freddie snorted. "Trust me, you're not nearly as weird as the ones we have here."

Snow checked his pattern and didn't recognize it. He wasn't sure acting ignorant was a bad idea, but considering he would be spending quite some time with this guy, it would be nice to know what he was facing. "I'm sorry, I'm still new to this whole supernatural thing. So I'm not sure what you are."

Freddie smiled. "I'm shape-shifter. And the guy in the living room's a werewolf."

Footsteps sounded in the short hall, and a African-American guy with a muscular build appeared at the door. The blue tank top he wore only enhanced his masculinity. He gave him a nonchalant look, like he didn't care who he was. His wide posture sent shivers down Snow's spine, even though everything about him said sexy.

"I'm Michael. Michael Hoffman!" he said, but didn't smile or offer his hand.

Snow twitched his eyebrows to read his pattern. It was the same as the group of kids that he saw on the way here.

He nodded politely. "Um... Snow."

The werewolf stared at him. "What's wrong? Are you afraid of me?"

"No." He didn't want to admit it. Showing fear would get you killed faster. He'll probably have to watch his back for the entire semester.

Heck, maybe he shouldn't have come here, after all.

Freddie giggled as if he found the situation funny, except Snow didn't feel the same enthusiasm. "I swear if Diego's here right now, you wouldn't be able to lie worth a damn."

"Why?"

Michael shot out of the room. Freddie continued. "You didn't know? Vampires are keen to hearing heartbeats. They can tell when you're lying."

This new info disturbed him, though not quite as much as some other things he tried not to think about. Compared to him discovering his being supernatural and the discovery of being adopted and some other problems he had forced himself not to worry about, the idea of vampires being able to hear your lies didn't hit the headache list. He already had enough written down to worry about that.

"I'll leave you to yourself now," Freddie said and started walking, then stopped and swung around, "Oh, hey, you're going to dinner, right?"

"Yeah, probably," he said hesitantly.

"Good, 'cause I think there are some people hoping to meet you. Everyone thinks you're going to be as interesting as the Galen girl."

"Who?"

Someone appeared at their door and interrupted their conversation. Snow looked around Freddie at the new stranger, and his breath caught. To describe the new guy as good-looking was an understatement. Long black strands with light brown highlights covered his thick eyebrows. Cheekbones of a young supermodel. He had a Mexican feature to his face; his chin grew a tiny goatee. Snow felt his breath taken away by the presence of this new stranger.

"Hello, I'm Diego," the boy introduced himself. "Diego Harris."

Snow realized he hadn't talked. "Snow. Snow White."

"Snow White?" Freddie repeated with an amused tone. "Your name's _Snow White_?"

Snow shot an angry look at him. "Don't start."

He really didn't want to hear anyone mock his name on his first day at a freaky school. Freddie covered his mouth, but still laughed a little behind his palm.

Snow looked back to the stranger. Diego. He twitched his eyebrows and recognized it as Burnett's brain pattern.

Holy shit! This guy was a vampire.

And that turned his mesmerization to fear in an instant.


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER FIVE**

Dinner was the moment he had hoped would be a reprieve. But no. He couldn't get a break. In fact, it was probably the most uncomfortable of all day. The second he walked into the dining hall with his roommates in tow and the vampire headmaster and his pregnant fae wife, Holiday James, every set of eyes of over fifty students in the room stared at him. Or rather at his forehead. It was like having to stand up on stage and make a speech in front of a crowd.

Of course, Snow studied them too. Werewolves, shape-shifters, vampires, faes... and then there were a few he did not recognize.

"How many times have we told you?" Holiday told the students. "It's impolite to stare. You make the new student uncomfortable." She hiccuped.

One of the students, a female werewolf, raised her arm.

"What is he?" she asked.

As if I would know,

he thought. Now, he really began to question whether or not he belonged here.

Burnett stepped beside him. "We're still trying to decipher his origin," he said. "But as you can see, his pattern is not the same as Kylie's, so they're not of the same species."

Kylie Galen. The girl his shape-shifter roommate talked endlessly about on their way here. Apparently, she was the weirdo of the camp because she had an unreadable brain pattern that played interesting tricks. Like moving at a quick pace and changing. And then it started shifting from one species to another. No one knew what she really was, including herself. That was until her species came out of hiding last September, and then more of them came to Shadow Falls for education.

Now, he felt like the new weirdo for the other students to look at, because he had another unfamiliar brain pattern, which made him another different species, i.e. the new entertainer.

Holiday went on to introduction. "Everyone, this is Snow White -" Oh, God! He forgot to ask her not to use his last name. "- He's starting school here today. Let's give him a warm welcome."

She started clapping. And then the other students started clapping as well. That made him feel slightly better until he heard someone murmur, "Another weird kid. Wonder if he can change his pattern and turn into a wolf."

So much for a warm welcome.

He waited in line to grab a plate when someone spoke behind him. "Hey." Turning, he looked right into the eyes of a blond girl. "I'm Kylie. Welcome to Shadow Falls." She held out her hand. The grin on her face showed nothing but generosity and kindness.

"Snow." They shook.

"So you're Kylie. My roommate's told me about you."

She frowned, clearly uncomfortable that someone was talking behind her back.

He instantly felt guilty and offered the one thing he could offer. "I'm sorry. If it makes you feel any better -" He pointed to my forehead. "I'm the new weirdo here now."

She brightened slightly, but he wasn't sure if it was because she wasn't the freak anymore. "Why don't you sit with me and my friends?" she offered.

It was probably a gesture of kindness.

"Sure," he said and thought, _"It's not like my roommates are particularly welcoming anyway."_

He took a short second to study her pattern and hit a wall. Her pattern was unlike the others. He could see lines and weird scribbles, but otherwise it was closed off. Definitely a weird one. He was still new at scanning brains, but from what his teacher told him, most supernaturals didn't try to hide their patterns as a means of courtesy. But according to Freddie, chameleon patterns were unstable and could change at times to look like other supernaturals, but when they weren't doing weird stuff, their patterns were impossible to read. Which meant Kylie wasn't being rude. It was just how her pattern worked.

He followed her to a table filled with supernaturals of different species. A gorgeous half-American half-Asian female vampire; a Goth-dressed witch with streaks of jet black, hot pink and lime green hair tied in ponytails; a handsome brown-haired half-fae boy (he recognized the half-human pattern); a broad-shouldered blond shape-shifter; a sexy-looking werewolf with pitch black hair and the body of a superstar (boy, was he easy on the eyes); a vampire boy with piercings on his left earlobe and eyebrow; a female half-fae with sandy-brown hair; and a female chameleon with a more casual beauty.

All of them watched him. Directly at him. Not at his pattern.

Kylie sat down beside the werewolf. He looked at her with wonderous eyes, and she returned the glance. Snow could tell instantly that they were a couple.

"Hey," Snow said nervously and saw one empty seat on each side of the vampire, but hesitated to sit on either.

The vampire girl followed his glance to the chairs and then faced him again. "What?" she asked, sounding offended. "Afraid I might bite you?"

His gaze lowered to the red liquid in her glass. Blood.

He considered saying no, but then remembered how Freddie told him that vampires could read lies, so he decided to come clean. "Sorry, I'm still getting used to the idea of being among supernaturals. Let alone being one myself."

She frowned and lifted the red glass to her lips. He shifted his eyes to the empty seat to avoid seeing her drink... blood. He took in a deep breath to stop the knot gnawing his stomach and settled down beside her.

The witch waved her hand to get his attention.

"Hi, I'm Miranda," she said. "So... your name's Snow White?"

He frowned. "Yeah, but please don't make fun of it."

The blond boy next to the witch chuckled and eyed at him as if he really wanted to mock him on it but decided against it. "I'm Perry, Miranda's boyfriend," he said instead.

They shook hands. Snow noticed how Perry's eye color changed from sky blue to golden yellow. Not so much as freaky, just surprising. He didn't remember Freddie showing that aspect. Maybe there were different kinds of shape-shifters.

He looked around for Freddie and found him coming his way.

"Hey, guys," he said in a friendly manner. "Mind if I join you? He's my new roommate."

Kylie gave him a look that said "_Don't or you'll get in trouble"_.

"Great!" the vampire girl bellowed and pointed to the chair on her other side. "Take this one."

Freddie was about to sit down when someone caught his arm.

"I'm taking this seat," said a masculine, brown-haired stranger.

Snow studied him. Shape-shifter.

"Sorry, Steve, Della offered it to me," Freddie smarted back.

The new stranger, Steve, growled and hardened his grip. Freddie's friendly manner disappeared and matched his anger.

"Oooh!" Perry crooned. "Fight."

Snow tensed. He didn't want to witness a fight between shape-shifters. Kylie and the half-fae boy rushed around to their side.

"Hey, hey, hey," Kylie warned and placed her hand on Steve's shoulder. "Cool it, guys. Don't shift."

The half-fae boy touched Freddie's arm and pulled him away from Steve. "Don't fight over something as simple as a seat, okay? It's silly."

Snow agreed with him on that. Fighting over a seat was just too childish. But then he saw how Steve looked at Della, who returned that look for a second before she turned away.

So she had offered Freddie the seat because she hadn't wanted Steve to sit next to her. He couldn't understand why she would turn away from someone as handsome as this guy, but it wasn't his place to ask.

He stood up and joined Freddie and the half-fae foy. "Come on, Freddie," he said and touched his shoulder. "Why don't we eat outside in nature instead."

Freddie scowled, but relented and left with him. Snow looked back over his shoulder at the others and offered a friendly smile as he left with the tray in his hands. They all grinned and he knew they would've wanted him to stay.

But how could he when there were two shape-shifters looking angry enough to tear each other's limbs off? What was _that_ all about?

"Okay, you need to cool off," he told Freddie once they were out on the porch. "Fighting over a seat? What was that about?"

It occured to him then that Freddie still looked angry enough to transform into something that could eat him alive.

"He started it," he growled and settled down on an empty rocking wooden chair. For a flicker of a second, Snow was a little disappointed that he didn't try to change into something, but pushed that thought away. And then Freddie continued. "Although I have to say, I admire him. He's been fighting for Della's affection for like... ever. And he hasn't stopped."

He was sure if asking was the best idea, but he didn't want the conversation to end and let something else happen. So he asked, "Why is that?"

"Beats me. Maybe she's just not interested."

He considered that, but then remembered the look on Della's face when she looked at Steve. Anger, but also affection. Obviously, she cared about the boy.

That's when he realized he hadn't considered Della a vampire.

"Okay, but that still doesn't mean you can just fight over a seat."

"She was the one who offered it to me." He scowled. "Or are you taking that nut-"

"I'm just looking out for you!" he interrupted. "You looked ready to kill each other. I don't know what the deal is, or if it's part of being shape-shifter, but I do know you need to learn when to hold your anger. And fighting over a chair is _not_ a way to impress a girl, if you know what I mean."

He looked at Snow in shock. "Wha... you think I was trying to impress Della?" He made a funny face. "Please, I don't look at her that way. She helped me with something a while back, and I've been friendly to her ever since. That's it."

Snow gazed at him. "I'll bet Steve thinks there's more. But what I don't get is, how can you get so easily mad at him and he get so jealous when Della offered you a chair."

Freddie laughed. "That's kind of part of being a shape-shifter. We can fit in to most places and make ourselves likeable, but we also have very, _very_ bad temper. It's not easy to control. Of course, the same goes for werewolves and vampires. They can't stop threatening to kill each other. You wouldn't believe how many times I've had to mediate between Michael and Diego. There was even this one time Diego asked for a witch's help to kick Michael's ass. She only declined because she didn't want to get her ass chewed up in the process. I think she has crush on the wolf, though."

Snow laughed. Diego came out right then and found them on the porch.

"Everything okay?" he asked Snow.

"Yes," he answered as calmly as he could, though his heart was beginning to race.

Diego's gaze focused on him. For a minute, he couldn't help but make out the thick eyelashes and skinny cheekbones through the darkness. His full lips were...

He turned away immediately and pulled the mental brakes to stop himself. This guy was a vampire. He probably had fangs.

A cold breeze blew across his face. Faint moisture tasted in the air.

"We better eat before the food gets cold," he said. "And then we have to get back to the cabin before it starts to rain."

Freddie eyed at him with a questioning look. "What're you talking about?" he asked.

"It's gonna rain soon, so we better eat and then head back to the cabin." He had always been able to tell weather currents. When he was six, he walked with his parents...

His emotions took a downfall and he tried to eat to drown the sadness and the memory.

They didn't speak for a moment. Diego sat on the porch floor next to Snow. He found himself staring at the handsome vampire again. His heart raced almost as fast as a racer car.

"I see you've gotten acquainted with Kylie and her friends," Diego said with a frown on his face.

"She was being friendly," he replied and tried to remain calm.

Freddie giggled. "I know. For a while, she was the weirdo everybody wouldn't stop gawking at. It started to get boring when her kind enrolled here. But if I'm going to tell the truth, I like her. I mean, she's kind and has a big heart. And she's a protector."

"Protector? What's that?" He wasn't sure if he really wanted to know what protector meant, especially when he just learned about the existence of vampires and werewolves. But on the other hand, it might be a good idea to learn that now so that he'd know what he was dealing with.

"Supposedly there're some supernaturals that have very special powers. Chosen ones, as you might say. Protectors are the ones with purely strong powers that only work when they're defending others. And their powers work depending on how the situation demands them to."

Freddie chuckled and looked at Diego. "Hey, remember that time when Perry and Clark got into a fight?"

Diego smiled. For a second, Snow found himself unable to think of him as a vampire. "Yeah, that was also the time Burnett got turned into a kangaroo."

Snow coughed the food right out of his mouth. "What?!"

Freddie and Diego burst into laughter. "Right, you're the newbie here, so you wouldn't know. We had this party last summer. Clark, the warlock, was dancing with Miranda, the triple-haired witch you just saw, and Perry, the shape-shifter, tried to cut in. But Clark wouldn't budge and they got in a fight."

"A huge one," Diego added. "Perry turned himself into a dragon and Clark was throwing fireballs everywhere."

Oh, great,

Snow thought. _You can never have too much fun around here without getting in trouble._

Freddie must've missed his frown, because he continued. "One of the fireballs almost got Miranda, but then Kylie came swooping in and caught it like it was nothing, and then she threw it aside. Talk about Wonder Woman. Burnett tried to intervene, but Miranda accidentally turned him into a kangaroo." Freddie laughed again.

Then all of a sudden, what didn't sound funny before suddenly did and Snow started laughing.

Freddie continued, "Man, that was a good fight. You know, I bet Perry would've won. He's one of the most powerful shape-shifters in the world. Even I can't compare to that."

"Yeah, and I remember the face Burnett had when Miranda finally changed him back," Diego said through his laughter.

They laughed like that for the next two minutes.

And then, as if the moment had taken most of the edginess off, Snow decided to ask the questions he'd been holding back all day long.

"So... how did this happen to you?" he asked Diego.

He eyed at him with a confused look. "How did what happen to me?"

"The vampire thing. How did it happen to you?"

He turned his glance to the woods up ahead for a moment, his laughter showed sadness. Snow's glance shifted slightly down to the open collar of his shirt and saw the large muscles on his chest. It was then he realized that he wasn't as afraid of Diego as he had been before.

Did he want to be scared?

The vamp stood up and said, "I gotta get back to my table. Chris is already hogging my blood." With that, he went back into the dining room.

Snow got the feeling that Diego didn't like to talk about himself. He could accept that. He could respect his wishes. But that didn't mean curiosity would stop piquing. There was so much about him that he didn't know, and so much that he wanted to know.

"He doesn't like to talk about himself," Freddie said.

Snow nodded and frowned.

He had butted into someone's privacy when he shouldn't have. And yet he couldn't help himself. He was curious about Diego.

* * *

Small raindrops started falling when Freddie and Snow were close to their cabin, and a few minutes after they got inside, it began to rain for real. Freddie was so impressed with Snow's prediction that he wondered if predicting the weather was a gift. Snow hadn't considered it before, but after everything that happened the last two weeks, he began to wonder the same.

"I don't know if it's a gift," he admitted. "Ever since I was a little kid, I've been able to tell the weather."

Freddie scoffed as he reached into the refrigerator and took out a soda can.

"As long as you don't see ghosts like Kylie can, I'm cool with whatever you can do," he said.

Snow stared at him. "What? She can see the dead?"

Now, that was freaky.

Freddie nodded. "And sometimes she does these craziest things. Last year when school first started, she jumped into Miss Kane's closet mid-class and started screaming her lungs out. Della pulled her out, but she was completely out of it. Like she wasn't there. It was so freaky."

The image of Kylie screaming filled Snow's mind. And then he felt bad for letting Freddie brag about the girl who'd been nothing but nice to him, so he brainstormed for subjects to talk about and went with the first one that came to him. There was also a small part of him that missed Benny. "Did you know you were a shape-shifter all your life?"

"Hell yeah, I've been aware of that for as long as I can remember. I started shifting when I was around ten, which was slightly later than the average age for shape-shifters," he said with a large smile. "My mom's always had an obsession for discipline, and though I love her, I didn't like the way she was trying to control me. The first time I shifted, I accidentally turned into a grizzly bear." He giggled at the memory. "You should've seen her face when I growled at her." Snow wasn't laughing. "My dad had to turn himself into another bear to keep me grounded. Of course, he was _way_ bigger than me, so that wasn't a problem."

Silence reigned for a few seconds. "So, what about you? How did you find out? Your parents told you?" he asked Snow.

Snow looked down on the kitchen table, frowning. He wasn't sure if he wanted to talk about something so personal to someone he'd only known for barely a day. So he offered parts of the truth. "I was a member of the swim team at my old school. My English teacher was half-fae, so when I started seeing patterns on people's heads he told me. I had no idea what he was talking about when he asked me about it..."

Their conversation halted when Diego came in from the rain. Michael followed a few steps behind.

"Hi, guys," Freddie greeted and turned back to Snow. "You were saying?"

Snow watched Diego take off his wet jacket and saw the partially wet tight T-shirt that fit his muscular frame. Michael walked straight back into his bedroom, ignoring them.

He turned back to Freddie and continued.

"I... I guess he didn't want to scare me and he knew that I'd think he was crazy, so he was very vague. He just asked if anything else happened to me. I told him no. Then he had me promise to see him if something did happen."

He heard Diego's footsteps as he moved to the couch and rested there.

"Well, something must've happened, 'cause you're here," Freddie said, hitting the mark.

Snow nodded and tried not to look at Diego. "I saw something when I was swimming. I wasn't sure what it was, but it was definitely not an illusion or a prank in my head. I remember it was a figure. Something like a human. So I told Mr. Richards and he told me about supernaturals."

"And then you came here," Freddie concluded.

He nodded again. He didn't know what came over him, but the conversation was so comforting that he felt like he could share anything with the shape-shifter, except for the part about him being adopted. To talk about it would hurt too much, and there was still a part of him that wished it wasn't true.

He looked over his shoulder and saw Diego watching TV on the couch.

"I thought coming here might help me figure out what I am," he continued. "I mean, he said he had never met anyone with my pattern before. But I..."

"You hoped that you would meet your kind here and find out what you are," Freddie finished for him. "But didn't your parents know this?"

Snow looked down on the table, refusing to turn the subject to them. Freddie went quiet. Snow wasn't sure if he had figured it out, but the shape-shifter suddenly patted his shoulder. He looked up just as Freddie offered a sympathetic smile. The humor in his eyes almost completely faded. Snow realized he had stopped looking at Freddie as a shape-shifter. In that moment, he could almost see a normal teenager. Not one like Benny, who liked to judge others for their differences, but one who accepted you for whoever you were. He wondered if the same thing would happen with Diego and Michael. A friendly shape-shifter wasn't nearly as intimidating as a blood-sucking vampire or a ferocious werewolf who transformed on a full moon and possibly ate people for a living.

Diego looked over his shoulder and met Snow's gaze. They froze in that moment. It wasn't until Snow's heart began to race that he looked away.

He went to grab a glass of juice from the refrigerator, and found a glass of red liquid at the end. His stomach instantly turned over and he lost his appetite. He felt the dinner in his stomach beginning to pump itself back up to his throat.

"I'm going bed," he said and then added, "Good night," before heading to his room.

Shutting the door behind him, he landed on his bed and worked to keep his breathing steady. The rain slowly escalated to storm, but he managed to tune out the sound and sang himself to sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER SIX**

By the time he woke up, the storm had passed. He rested sleepily on his pillows, but sleep had eased its way from him.

He checked his watch. 6 AM.

His mind automatically went back to this time of morning at home. His mom often prepared delicious trays of breakfast for him and his dad even though they didn't eat much in the mornings. His dad got up early to have lone time with the TV before heading off to work.

Before he knew it, his ears automatically tuned in to listen to the sound behind the walls. But there was no sound this time, and that rushed him all the way back to waking. There was no sound behind the walls because he wasn't home anymore.

In that moment, he realized how much he missed his family. The only one he ever had. For the first time since he left home, he realized how much he loved his parents even though they had kept such a big secret from him. And they had told him why. _"We didn't want you to feel like you didn't belong. That you were different."_ He was different, but for most of his life, he had felt like part of a family. Like he belonged somewhere. And it shouldn't matter whether he wasn't their child biologically or not.

His eyes stung and blurred with tears while emotion built in his chest. Tears not of anger or hurt or betrayal, but of love and joy. He rolled over, found his cellphone on the bedside table and called home.

His mom answered on the third ring. _"Snow?"_

"Yeah, it's me," he said. "Hey, Mom."

"Hey, honey."

Her voice shook. Silence reigned for a few seconds. _"I was just thinking about you. Is everything okay? How's the new school? Did you make any new friends?"_

I miss you,

he thought and then said, "Yeah, sort of. The school's actually fine. But considering I arrived after the semester already started, I have some subjects to catch up on. And I have three roommates." He bit his lips and spoke what he really wanted to say. "Mom..."

"Yes, honey?"

His voice shook as he drew in a deep breath. "I'm sorry. For being so angry at you and Dad."

His mom's voice shook. _"No, it's okay. I understand why you felt the way you did. We... we should..."_ She trailed off.

He grinned. "I miss you. I actually thought you were making breakfast."

Her laughter filled his ear. _"That's because I _am_ making breakfast. I miss you, too, my boy. And you do know that you can come home if you don't like it there, right? The spring semester's only just started anyway. I'm sure Jackson High'll take you right back."_

He heard the eagerness in her voice. But no matter how much he missed her, no matter how much he missed home, he couldn't leave now. Not when he had so much to figure out, so much to learn.

"Not right now. I need to figure things out."

She sighed. _"I know you do."_ Snow mentally kicked himself for hurting the woman.

Pause.

"I should go, but I'll see you and Dad on parents day, okay?"

"Wouldn't miss it for the world. Oh, before I forget, you left your iPad here."

He laughed. "I knew I left it somewhere. Can you bring it to me on Sunday?"

"You betcha, sweetie."

He hung up and fell back on his bed.

A few minutes later, he got dressed and went out to take a short walk. The moment he opened the cabin door, the winter cold filled his senses. The rainstorm had melted and moistened the snow until almost every trail of it was invisible. Snow's eyes gazed down on the muddy ground. It looked both moist and somewhat icy. He left the porch and started walking on the steadier pathway, with no exact direction in mind. Just as he came near the trail leading to the main cabins, a new sound drilled into his ears. He stopped abruptly and tuned in to it. Then recognition hit. Water running like a stream lingered closeby. Curiosity piqued and he started walking toward it, off the path.

Crazy as it sounds, it felt like it was calling out to him. Like an old friend. One that he didn't know he had.

Snow kept walking, and, in a matter of minutes, reached a small river. The early sunlight glimmered like a mirror in the rushing water surface. The flow was too violent to be frozen over by the cold, but somehow he found it mesmerizing. Wanting to take a closer look, he walked closer toward the edge... and kept walking.

Something solid and soft caught his arm and yanked him back so fast that he didn't have time to react. His heart raced at fear of the reversing force. It raced some more when he saw Diego.

"What're you doing?" the vampire asked sharply. His grip sent cold shiver up Snow's arm. "The water's too cold for anyone to swim in. You almost fell in."

"Sorry," he said, though he wasn't sure why. So he added, "But you're hurting my arm."

He let go. "What're you doing out here so early in the morning?"

Snow stole a glance at the river behind him, the water still sang the same appealing melody. "I-I was taking a walk."

He looked in disbelief. "In the woods?"

"Is that supposed to be weird? Don't you take walks in the woods?"

Snow noticed he was wearing a grey tank top, tight jeans and boots. Something unsuitable for winter season. Then again, Diego was a vampire. The memory of his cold touch crawled back into his brain. Vampires must have very low body temperature. His thoughts about the cold river vanished.

"What're you doing here?" he asked to distract himself from gazing at his body like a lunatic. "Did you follow me?"

Diego looked away for a short second, then he crossed his arms and faced Snow again. "I was on my way to the morning ritual for vampires, and then I heard you."

He wasn't sure what kind of rituals vampires had, but he was pretty sure it involved blood. And that sent the knot right back into his stomach.

"Let's go," Diego said and started walking away.

Snow started following. The river kept singing and the desire to walk toward it pulled at him.

Later,

he decided and kept walking in the opposite direction.

"Where are we going? Aren't you going to that ritual thing?" he asked Diego after the river no longer sounded in his ears. The memory of it sounding all the way to the trailroad hit. Surprisingly, he hadn't walked that far. The distance was still relatively close. Could he hear it that far away?

His thoughts shattered when Diego spoke while walking, "I'm taking you back to the cabin. The ritual's probably already started. And it's not like every vampire participates."

"Really?"

He still didn't turn around. "_I_ don't."

Silence reigned and Snow found himself unable to ask anymore about those rituals. Diego walked at a pace so fast that he make efforts to keep up, like a little kid tagging along an adult. His mind went to another topic that he had tried to discuss with the vampire last night.

He let out a deep breath and asked. "So, how did this happen to you?"

"How did what happen to me?" Diego asked, still not turning.

"How did you become a vampire? You didn't answer last night."

Diego halted abruptly and faced Snow. Shock and discomfort at the question flashed in his eyes, now glowing yellow. It made him look a lot more like a vampire and Snow wondered if he'd said the wrong thing. "Sorry, I just got curious. If you don't want to tell me, I won't ask again," he added.

Diego let out a huff. After about a moment, he finally answered while the golden glow in his irises vanished. "I got bit. It happened last year. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Some vamps and weres were fighting, and I got caught in the middle of the riot when I was out walking."

Snow felt sympathy for the guy. "I'm sorry."

Diego shrugged. "I'm over it."

Snow could still see the sadness lingering in his eyes, but didn't call him on it.

He started walking again and Snow followed. Diego went on.

"I was one of the unlucky ones. Or perhaps lucky, if you see it the other way. Most vampires are born with the vampire virus, and they generally activate when they come across another vampire. When they bite someone, the virus passes on to the prey like rabies. Only the lucky ones survive the infection to become vampires."

Snow did not want to think about the ones who got unlucky, so he moved on to the next question. "So, how did you end up here?"

"After I got bit, some agents of the FRU, that is the governmental agency for supernaturals - arrived to stop the fight. They took me in and took care of me. After my transformation was complete, they told me about this place and suggested that I come here for 'education'." He chuckled. "Anyway, that's my story."

Snow felt sorry for the boy. Someone who lost his chance at a normal life. He knew if given the chance, he would've sent his supernatural heritage packing. But there was nothing to do about his gifts - or at least his potential gifts. "I'm sorry it happened to you," he offered.

Diego looked back at him with a surprised look. They kept walking. He chuckled. "It's not so bad. Once you learn to cope it becomes easier."

Snow sensed that Diego wasn't entirely telling the truth. Maybe things had become more bearable overtime, but it still didn't mean it was easy. Then his thoughts wound all the way back to his own worries. How he would have to face his parents from now on. How things will change between him and Benny. How he will have to find his real family and ask the questions that had been eating away at him for the past two weeks: _What am I? What are we?_ And most of all: _Why did you leave me?_

The more he thought about the questions, the more he ached for answers. He could practically hear the questions bounce around in his head like a basket full of basketballs. Then his mind went back to Diego's matter for emotional relief.

"What's it like? Being vampire?" No longer than one second later did he realize that he had probably asked too much.

Thankfully, Diego didn't seem angry at his curiosity. "Blood is mostly the part you can't live without, and sunlight's pretty annoying to the eyes, but otherwise it's not so bad. You can run as fast as a motorcycle and beat ten people with super-strength." He stopped on what looked like a glowing spot formed by glittering snow and skylightand turned around with a happy smile formulated on his face. "And the best part is that I can do this."

And then Diego's body lifted off the ground like a floating feather. His feet levitated two feet above. The natural light of snow and dawn surrounded his figure, making him look like a handsome angel instead of a vampire.

Snow was mesmerized.

The word "wow" escaped his lips.

Diego's smile widened. "I know, right? It's amazing how this supernatural thing can work out for you."

Snow nodded slowly with his jaw open like a lunatic.

He landed again and snickered. "That was probably my reaction. The look on your face."

Snow couldn't help but laugh at his comment. He realized in that moment that he was no longer afraid of this vampire. Right now, he looked more like an angel. A highly attr-

He pulled the mental brakes on his thoughts and looked the other way to shove them into a box. He fought to keep from looking at Diego. Seeing his face will be too much. He shouldn't see the vamp that way, no matter how good it felt.

"I'm gonna go back to the cabin and get some rest before breakfast," he said and walked off before Diego could say anything.

He didn't. But he caught up with him in half a second.

"I can go by myself, you know." Then he remembered his trump card. "The others'll probably not start without you."

"It's fine," Diego insisted. "They won't wait for me."

Suddenly, he turned his head in another direction. His eyes glowed lime green, and he looked less human in that second. Snow suspected he had heard something in the woods. Modern vampire movies often showed that vampires had better senses than humans.

"You might be right," Diego said.

A sound of ruffling bushes got their attention. They turned towards the sound and saw a female figure coming out past the bushes. He recognized Della from last night.

"Found 'im," she said, her gaze focused on Diego and Snow.

Another whoosh whisked past Snow's shoulder and Burnett appeared next to Diego. Snow's heart skipped a beat and continued skipping. He had never seen someone move so fast that no one could catch them. Not in real life, anyway. He'll have to get used to being around vampires. As if there was a need to remind him, Burnett's eyes glowed a deep red color, which could only be guessed as anger. All that friendliness from the day before was gone.

"Where the hell have you _been_, Diego?" Burnett spit out.

"Out and around," Diego smarted back as if he wasn't the least bit intimidated by the huge vampire. "You didn't need to wait for me."

"I _told_ you no more missing out." His voice matched the expression on his face. "The ritual is obligatoric for vampires. As long as you're here, you're going to attend."

Diego stared right into his eyes, and said, "I don't care what vampires do in their culture. I never wanted to become one or be involved with this shitty kind of a supernatural world in the first place. And if I remember correctly, I believe you're not allowed to attend the rituals if you don't have someone to donate blood for you. And I haven't had a donor since I told Freddie to skip out."

He needed a donor?

Burnett inched closer. "You can say that as many times as you want. Because whether you want to or not, you're part of this shitty kind of a supernatural world. You can choose to leave campus if you wish, but I guarantee you that no matter when you go outside those gates, you will always find yourself caught in situations where your life is threatened. Even by other vampires." Diego didn't talk back. "You're not part of the human world anymore, Diego. It's time you stop acting like a victim."

Diego still didn't talk back. He just looked sheepishly at Snow with a sad gaze. Then he turned around and ran off into the woods like the wind. Burnett then redirected his attention to Snow.

"What were you doing out here?" he asked, his voice barely containing his anger.

"Just to get some air," he answered honestly.

Burnett's phone beeped in that instant. He checked it and then grunted in frustration.

"Someone just jumped the fence," he growled and refocused on Snow. "Get back to your cabin ASAP." He turned to Della. "You come with me. We gotta tell the others to run the perimeter."

With that, they shot off in a flash. Snow found himself standing all alone in the cold woods. Not wanting to get himself in any trouble, he started back toward his cabin.

Freddie was making peanut butter sandwich when he came in. The ruffled nature-green T-shirt made him look more like a little kid than an adolescent.

"Where did you go?" he asked.

"Just into the woods for some air," Snow answered and removed his jacket before settling down on the couch.

Freddie joined him there.

"Everything okay?" he asked through his stuffed mouth.

Snow didn't know what had gotten into him, but he felt the need to spill his guts. To confide in someone. "I saw vampires move at super-speed for the first time in my life. I was amazed, but then Burnett's phone beeped and he said someone had jumped the fence."

"Who?"

He shook his head. "No idea. Anyway, before that, Diego told me that you were his donor?"

"Oh, yeah, all vampires are to get someone to donate blood for them for the rituals. It's no big deal," he said matter-of-factly, like it wasn't a big deal. Except it was.

"He also mentioned vampire bites can be infective."

Freddie gave a confused look, then his eyes widened with understanding and laughed so hard that he almost choked on the sandwich caught in his mouth.

"No, no, no," he said through his chuckling. "No, you got it wrong. It's not what you think." He chewed some more. "They got all the blood-drive tools to draw blood from people's veins. Vampires are all trained to do it. They're actually better at finding veins than nurses."

"Oh." He felt like an idiot for jumping to conclusions without knowing better.

"Yeah. I wouldn't have agreed to it if I didn't know it was safe," Freddie said. His laugh came to an end.

Snow nodded. Then he changed the subject. "Burnett also told Diego to start accepting himself as a vampire and that he will find his life at risk outside the school. What did he mean, exactly?"

Freddie sighed and swallowed his sandwich before he spoke again. "I'm not a vampire so I wouldn't know, but I'm guessing Burnett was referring to all the rogues out there. Most vampires fake their deaths to leave their families and spare them the heartache and the hardships that come with the change. But it's also the reason that they usually end up joining gangs. You know, criminal gangs and all that. The same goes for werewolves and some other supernaturals. Faes and witches are the last on the list."

"Rogues?"

"Unregistered supernaturals who disobey the law and hurt others for a living."

"Why do they join gangs? Isn't there some sort of support group or help they can turn to?"

The shape-shifter's brown eyes widened in disbelief, and then a low chuckle followed. "I'm sorry. I forgot you're brand new to all this. There're shelters and organizations designed to help supernaturals, but unfortunately they ain't enough to support the entire lot. It's just like those normal shelters where homeless people get a place to stay for a little while, but it's never enough to help everyone in need.

"And there are those who prefer to do things their way. They don't like how the goverment is controlling us and our lifestyle by setting down rules. All to brainwash us, they say, so they join rally groups to rebel." The shifter snorted humorlessly. "Those gangs are ain't so much better, though. They wreak havoc everywhere they go, and they believe that just because we're not humans, it means that we don't have to act like them."

"Meaning?"

"They don't care about other people's lives. They just hurt anyone they want, human or otherwise. It's a rather terrible way of life, since we mostly war against each other like water meeting flaming oil. Last year, when this school was still a summer camp, the Blood Brothers Gang - that is, from what I know, the most dangerous gang of vampires - tried to get it shut down by murdering the endangered animals in the wildlife park next door. They even placed a lion in that girl Kylie's bedroom."

"What? Why would they do that? What's the purpose of getting the school shut down?"

Freddie shrugged. "Werewolves and vampires have been warring each other for like... ever. That was what caused of the Civil War. The same goes for witches and faes. The Black Plague was the witches' doing to try and wipe out fairies."

Whoa,

Snow thought. Freddie went on. "The wars ended, but the feuding hasn't. This school encourages harmony between the species, which from my point of view, is a good thing. It keeps us from trying to wipe one another off the face of the Earth."

Snow inhaled as he processed this new piece of information. And here he thought everything his teachers taught him were flawless. Then again, he wasn't exactly in his own world anymore.

"But it's also keeping the gangs from gaining new members, so the Blood Brothers tried to get it shut down. Of course, some of the supernatural elders didn't like the idea, either. Most of them are old retro-minded geasers. They think we should stick with our own kind. Keep the bloodlines pure and _untainted_."

"Like the pure-blooded wizards in Slytherin?" Snow joked.

Freddie burst into laughter. "Pretty much. It took quite some pull to sway some of them to the idea. But at least they're not calling the half-human supernaturals 'mudbloods'."

He considered that. "That would've stirred up quite some war, huh?"

"World War III - Paranormal Human Army vs the Full-blooded Corporation."

They laughed harder for the next few minutes before moving on to lighter topics - from humorous comments about World War II to the latest football match in Chicago. To Snow's surprise, it was a real smile since he transferred. And it brightened his heart, too. The problems in his head felt lighter and easier to resolve.

Michael stepped out of his bedroom.

"Sorry, did we wake you?" Snow asked through his smile.

He had half-expected the werewolf to walk right back into his room, but instead he shook his head, and said, "We got a half hour before school starts. Let's get some breakfast." He walked back into his room without another word.

Snow stood up and went to get a glass of water. The glass was filling when he looked at the fluttering surface. Then he saw it. Right there. In the water. He saw an ocean floor, filled with seaweed, sand, hills and light rays that made it look like something from a fantasy movie. The image shifted around the ocean.

He heard a sound coming from the water. A shrieking whale. At least that's what he thought it was. A human-like figure moved in the reflection. It turned... and looked directly at him.

Snow felt the surge of panic charge from his chest all the way to his hand. His strength failed and the glass fell to the sink. It hit and fell sideways, spilling the water. He backed away until his back hit the counter, but he refused to look at the reflection.

"Are you alright?" Freddie asked from behind the counter.

His voice got lost for a few seconds before he found it again. "I don't know."

Shit, life really was different here.

* * *

Snow sat with Kylie's group again during breakfast. The ones who didn't have a chance to offer their names last night seized the chance to do it this time.

"I didn't get the chance to introduce myself last night. I'm Derek," said the half-fae boy and offered his hand.

"Nice to meet you," he said politely.

They shook hands.

The chameleon girl sitting beside Derek stood up next, "Jenny, his girlfriend. I'm also Hayden's sister."

Mr. Yates's sister? He remembered the science teacher telling the students off when they gawked at his pattern last night.

"Jonathon," said the pierced vampire, "and this is my girlfriend, Helen." He patted his hand on the half-fae girl next to him.

The werewolf sitting next to Kylie grinned but didn't offer his hand. Instead he gave a quick nod and offered his name, "Lucas."

"Snow. Good to meet ya."

Snow wondered if werewolves were naturally anti-social. Michael simply treated him like he didn't exist. Nonetheless, Lucas showed kindness and looked like a pre-mature teen with a more mature body build and the facial features of a supermodel. Snow found himself liking Kylie and her table-mates a little better than some of the gawking students.

Della came to the table and sat across Snow. Curiosity with what happened earlier suddenly piqued and he asked before he could help himself, "What happened?"

"What?" she asked with a confused look while chewing a long French fry.

Could vampires eat French fries?

He pushed away that thought to clarify the question. "After you and Burnett left. He said something about someone jumping the fence."

Miranda dropped her juice.

"What? Someone jumped the fence?" she asked with wide eyes.

Della looked down on her tray. "Nothing to talk about."

"Why not? Come on, why did someone jump the fence? Who?" Miranda pushed.

Della gave her a stern look. "Eat your breakfast, pryer witch," she said harshly and then turned to Snow. "Don't ask me anything."

"Did Steve jump the fence to impress you?" she mocked with a singsong tone. But Snow wasn't impressed, and neither was Della. "Did he?"

"How about I drive your broomstick through your heart and then sell your witch-blood on eBay after you hit the boulder?" she threatened.

eBay? Snow thought in panic. Maybe it wasn't so normal after all. Did all supernaturals always threaten to kill each other? He wasn't sure if he wanted someone to let someone drain his blood from his veins. Let alone sell it on eBay.

"Guys, stop it!" Kylie said warily, her eyes focused on Snow.

"Seriously, stop," Derek said a little louder. "You're scaring the new guy."

"Oh, please, he's supernatural. The sooner he accepts it, the better off he'll be," Della smarted back.

Snow instantly regretted sitting with them and filled his mouth with scrambled eggs and bacon to avoid looking at them. Miranda and Della went back to their bickering. They even got to the point where Della showed her elongated fangs and Miranda held out her pinky finger, and Kylie and some of the others had to work to calm them down.

He glanced around the dining hall to avoid seeing Della's sharp teeth and focused on discriminating the sets of tables in the dining room. Freddie was sitting with his shape-shifter friends, accompanied by two faes and a chameleon. Most of the vampires sat at one table, but he could see some of them sitting elsewhere, too. The chameleon table only had two people, but they were accompanied by two witches and a shape-shifter and a boy with the pattern of witch on his forehead; Snow assumed him to be a warlock or a male witch. He then turned to the witch table just in time to see them all laughing at some joke one of them said. The werewolf table must be off-limits, because there wasn't a single non-werewolf among them. And then he spotted some other tables occupied by different species. Snow flashed back to his old school, and saw it. Even in a magical institution, there were cliques discriminated: there was the cheerleader team that mostly hung out with the swim team or the football team; the art club; the science club with kids who sought for promising futures by studying hard; the geek clique - the one that often got bullied by the more popular kids; the glee club that represented the school's best side by performing at assemblies. At his old school, he may have been in the popular clique, but somewhere deep down, he never truly felt belonged. Somewhere in the deepest, darkest depths, something had always told him that he was different. And now, he was at a boarding school meant where supernaturals lived. The cliques may be differentiated by species, but they existed. And he felt completely alone. He had absolutely no idea of what he was, and therefore couldn't belong anywhere. In junior high school, when he was in the less popular cliques, at least he had Benny to keep him company. Now he had to manage on his own... in the loner clique, no less. In that moment, he missed home even more. He missed his parents and his old friends so much that he almost walked out of there and went to Burnett's office to demand a re-transfer. The only thing that kept him from doing so was the aching need for answers. No matter how much he wanted to go home and forget everything that happened, he wanted to find out what he was. Where he came from, what type of supernatural that he belonged to. And perhaps - just perhaps - he'd find a group to really belong to.

Breakfast time ended eventually.

Today's first lesson was history, which he had with all three roommates. To Snow's surprise, the lesson wasn't much different than the ones at his old school.

"We're not in Hogwarts. They teach about the same stuff at any other school," Freddie told him before they walked into the classroom. "But they do teach what humans do not know, like how our powers work on different levels or certain historical subjects that were kept hidden from the human knowledge. During gym, we mostly play challenge games with the physically enhanced supernaturals, but we also learn how to handle their advances. Like how to avoid a werewolf's sense of smell or play wrap-up with a vamp's hearing so they can't hear us." The shape-shifter giggled at something he remembered. "Last year, I got paired with a fae boy. He tried to shake off his trail which I was supposed to track. He was genius, managed to cover his scent with some elephant shit that he stole from the next door wildlife park. But he hadn't counted on my other skills. I turned myself into a hawk and I stalked him."

Snow wondered what happened afterwards. The story sounded interesting. Hopefully it didn't end badly. He didn't have to wait long to find out the rest, though.

"_He_ was surprised that I found him. Apparently, he hadn't counted on the skills that came with my shapeshifting. He told me that the last time he hid from a shape-shifter, he threw off his trail completely. I'm guessing that other shifter wasn't as talented as me."

Talk about pride.

"What about science?" Snow shifted back to the subject. "Do they teach us how to make potions and stuff like that?"

Freddie burst into high-pitched laughter. "Maybe if it was a witch teaching another witch," he said with a hand over his mouth, still laughing. Then he drew in a deep breath and spoke again, "Mr. Yates teaches the regular kind of science. Although he does pick some of us for demonstrations sometimes. The witches who get chosen are proud to show their skill, but he does show knowledge about science and chemical mixture that even they don't."

During class, Snow was mostly bored. History had never been his forte. Just an endless pile of information about what transpired in the past and who did all the causes before modern days' kids were born. Teachers never stopped trying to make him understand its significance, but he never did.

"The best history can do is tell us what happened in the past and how things used to be. Got nothing to do with how it affects present day," he once told Benny, who shared his aversion to the subject.

But boring as it was, at least it provided distraction from his thoughts about not belonging, his origins... and the figure in the water. It shouldn't be so horrifying, except for the fact that it was. In spite of all the paranormal introduction, the blurry figure scared the life out of him.

He needed to talk to someone about this. Since he was going to meet with Mrs. James later, maybe he could bring it up and see if she knew something.

And as if the list wasn't long enough, he was tormented by worries for Diego, who wasn't in class. Was he being held back? He didn't know, but he knew if the vamp didn't show up soon, he might have to turn to Burnett.

The lesson wasn't the least bit interesting until Mr. Cannon, the werewolf history teacher - with an attractive physique that made you drool - got to the Salem witch trials. Snow was amazed by the sudden fascination he felt towards the subject. Then again, everything was new. Up until now, he had never really expected there to be anything beyond what you can see. Heck, whatever other wars occurred in the past could have been started by supernaturals. Maybe even World War II.

"Two years before the time of the Salem witch trials, there was another witch hunt occuring in Boston," the teacher informed. "The Goodwin witch trials. It wasn't as wide or as popular as the ones in Salem. The procedure was on a smaller scale, but it still focused on the prosecution of witches. As many of you may know, the Goodwin witches are known as a very powerful family. They even encourage the laws of Wiccans to keep the Wiccan supernaturals in check."

Snow raised his hand. "Um... what exactly do you mean?"

"There are supernaturals out there who commit crimes for preservation, even to this day," Mr. Cannon answered. "Witches and warlocks are the least involved in such activities, because the Wiccan council uses crystal balls to observe their actions. Anyone who breaks the rules or commits a wrongdoing, the council will be informed."

Another question popped into Snow's head. The sudden enthusiasm and curiosity bothered him slightly, but he wanted to know. "Has there ever been exceptions?"

He waited a few seconds before answering. "There had been cases where someone managed to escape the observation. In the past, crystallomancy wasn't quite as developed. When the council realized how much damage some witches had caused to the human population and how they'd misused magic, they improved the technique, like humans developed technology over the last century."

"Cellphones, e-books, videotapes," one of the students interjected. Some of the others started interjecting with less informative remarks. The rest of the class snickered.

"Everyone please return your attention to the lesson so that you can leave sooner than later," Mr. Cannon said firmly and proceeded with teaching. But not before Snow noticed how he stole a special glance at a certain dark-haired werewolf girl.


	7. Chapter 7

CHAPTER SEVEN

The rest of the hour went by without a hitch. They all received assignments due next Monday. English, the next class, was fairly more interesting than history, because the teacher Ms. Ava Kane taught the usage of ancient writing styles. Snow, however, was more fascinated by her pattern. He recognized it, but it wasn't one you saw everyday. She had the markings of witch and, mostly, shape-shifter. He was so intrigued by the cross-pattern that he could hardly focus on the lesson. And that had nothing to do with her perfectly carved body that could have put some of the models in the magazines to shame.

When class ended, he asked Freddie about the teacher's pattern, and like always, the answer was shocking. "Ms. Kane is both a shape-shifter and a witch. You probably already know by the colors and design of her pattern that she's mostly shape-shifter," he said.

"Mostly?" he repeated the word.

"According to what we know, the dominant genes of paranormal parents get passed down to their kids. Like for instance, your mom's a fae and your dad's a were, and the DNA you get from your dad is more potent than your mom's. You'll have the genes and powers of two different species, but the more dominant side is the one you'll pass down when you have your own kids. It has even happened on occasion that a halfling is more human than some others. My cousin Nellie has a human father, and her supernatural side is so much weaker than the rest of her family's. She can only turn herself into something close to her own size, like a dog or a goat, and she morphs slower than me."

Snow realized how much he didn't know about the new world. He didn't even know how cross-breeds acted or how their powers worked. "Do I look full-blooded to you?" he asked and brushed away the strands on his forehead.

Freddie studied him and nodded. "Pretty much. Not that I know what you are, but I don't see any extra markings that I recognize."

They got to the clearing where Meet Your Campmate Hour took place. Snow didn't know exactly what the activity was, but he suspected it to be a get-together for students. And if any indication to his theory, the clearing was filled with students.

"What's Meet Your Campmate Hour?" he whispered to Freddie.

Snow glanced around briefly hoping to see a certain vamp, but all he saw was a bunch of students. He hoped Diego hadn't gotten in too much trouble for not participating in the vampire ritual.

"Oh, it's a daily activity of this school," Freddie answered his question, returning Snow to the present. "We each get paired up with one of the students to get to hang out for one hour. It's kind of cool. It's a way to encourage peace between the species, and to learn about each other's culture. And, of course, we're not allowed to fight and come back without our partner."

He nodded. It did seem cool. At least the part about encouraging peace. What was cool, though, was the idea of being paired up with a stranger, who could possibly be a hungry wolf or a bloodsucking vamp. He wasn't sure if he was ready for that yet. Hopefully, he'll get paired up with a fairy. They seemed less scary.

More disturbing yet, other students never stopped gawking at him like an odd shiny toy... or food. He inched closer to Freddie. His eyes flickered around to make sure no one was approaching. Michael was with his werewolf group, but they didn't make a move.

A senior student stood at a wooden table with a magician hat in his hands. Snow recognized him as Chris, one of the vampires. He started pulling out names written on pieces of paper and announcing the students' names and their partners. Snow was a nervous wreck the whole time, praying that he didn't end up with an unfamiliar vampire or werewolf. Face it, just because he was rooming with the two species didn't mean the rest had grown on him. For all he knew, they saw him as food and wouldn't doubt for one second to eat him alive. He remembered seeing a man lose a hand from being mauled by a brown grizzly bear. Freddie left when his name got called and he paired up with a warlock.

Chris pulled out another piece of paper. Then he gazed around the clearing and stopped. Right at Snow.

Oh, no.

"Snow White, our newest addition to the family," Chris said loudly, and using his last name no less. "You get the pleasure of spending an hour with..." He paused, as if to add dramatic effects. Snow grew more nervous by the second. "... Kylie Galen. I think she can give you some pointers on how to be the... erm, new kid here."

He heard something underneath Chris's tone, but wasn't sure how to put his finger on it. His gaze moved around until he found Kylie standing next to Della and a huge, masculine werewolf. He recognized Lucas from the dining table.

He sighed in relief at the fact that his partner wasn't a werewolf or a vampire, and walked toward them.

"You wanna go somewhere?" he asked her nervously.

Kylie smiled a polite smile.

"Sure. Do you have a place in mind?" she asked.

He shook his head. "Why don't you lead, I'm kind of new to this place."

She nodded again and turned to the werewolf. "I'll see you later."

She placed a quick kiss on his lips and then left with Snow.

They walked in the muddy woods for the next five minutes without talking. Silence reigned in the cold forest, except for the sound of wind shaking the branches high up in the air. And the sound of rushing water that lingered nearby.

"I'm making this uncomfortable for you, aren't I?" Snow asked, breaking the silence.

Kylie looked over her shoulder, but continued walking.

"No, of course not," she answered honestly. "But I can tell you're probably uncomfortable. Burnett's told me about your situation."

He sighed.

"I'm probably the new gossip topic around here, huh?"

She didn't answer. They didn't talk until they found a huge boulder attached deep in the ground and decided to rest on top of it. The sound of rushing water echoed in the air. He wasn't sure how he could hear it, but he didn't find it frightening, either. In fact, he felt calm. And then he yearned to go near it again.

"So how did this whole supernatural thing happen to you?" Snow asked, hoping that the conversation would take off some of the temptation to follow the sound.

"What do you mean?" Kylie asked.

"I mean, have you always known? My roommate said he's known all his life, and my other roommate said he got turned after getting bit. So I was wondering what your process was like?"

She looked down for a minute, and then answered, "I think I've been this way all my life. You do know what my kind is, don'tcha?"

He nodded. "Chameleons."

"My dad died in the Gulf War before I was born, and my mom didn't know anything about magic and all this stuff back then, so I've been kept in the dark all my life. Last year, I saw my father's spirit for the first time and I started having night terrors. My parents - my mom and stepdad - sent me to see a shrink, who was half-fairy and she recommended that I come here for the summer. I found out about supernaturals the day I came here."

"Ouch." He made a scrunched face. "That must've been quite some shock, huh?" He couldn't imagine what it was like to have the bomb dropped that way.

She nodded with a light grin. "Pretty much."

They were quiet again for several seconds.

"I hope you don't mind, but since I don't know what supernatural I belong to, I pretty much have nothing to share, so is it okay if I ask more questions? About you and your kind?"

She nodded hesitantly.

"Freddie, my roommate, told me that you have the power to see dead people, and also that you're a protector. What's it like?"

She looked away again, her lips pierced. For a moment, she looked really uncomfortable by the question. "It could be a lot of pressure at times. You probably don't want to know about ghosts. I mean, the moment I mention the word 'ghost', everyone just shies away from me."

Snow put an elbow on top of his knees and rested his jaw on the palm. He studied her. "You're forgetting that I was living a human life before this. If you think I'm gonna get scared, you'll have to tell me why."

Tears filled her eyes. She waited a few more seconds before answering. "They're afraid of the death angels."


	8. Chapter 8

**CHAPTER EIGHT**

"Death angels?"

She nodded casually. "They're the powerful kind of ghosts who pass judgment to supernaturals for all the wrongdoings they've committed in life. All supernaturals are afraid of them because of all the legends surrounding them. And so they're afraid to talk about ghosts."

He tried to see it, but couldn't find any hint of fear in her voice or on her face. "But you're not. I can see it on your face."

She smiled, her eyes brightened. "Let's just say I have a connection to one of them."

_Maybe a very good one, too,_ he thought and asked, "Is there anyone else here who can see ghosts?"

"Holiday can see them, and Burnett can sense them. My great-aunt can also feel their presence. But it's a very rare power, not many people have it."

"I'm guessing some higher power believe that you can make use of it in ways that other people can't."

She snorted. "And sometimes I wish they wouldn't put that much faith in us. Ain't an easy job."

They laughed. Then Snow changed the subject.

"What about chameleons? Burnett gave me the basics. He said that they're - you're a blend of several species." He studied her pattern in hopes of finding a connection. "But I don't see anything on your pattern that shows those traits."

She snorted uncomfortably. "It's very weird, isn't it? That's because chameleons can only be one species at a time." She pointed to her forehead. "This is when we're not being anything in particular. It's pretty much our general pattern, like your teeth and your hair. Chameleons have only been around for the last century or so. Most people receive the dominant DNA from their parents. Chameleons receive and keep the DNA of both parents and those of their forefathers'. In the past, people thought we had brain tumors messing with our heads, because our patterns could shift from one to another."

"So when you become a specific species, you change brain patterns and get their powers?" She nodded with a frown. "Do you have any default ones?"

She nodded again. Snow suspected that she didn't like to talk about herself too much. "But it takes a long time to learn. Most chameleons don't start coming into their powers until they're in their twenties. At first, my people hid from the world because of some science experiments the government performed on them back in the 1960s. It terrified them. Last year, I decided to come out in the open to help the other chameleons do the same."

"How did you do that?"

"I don't know if you've heard of the FRU. They're the governmental agency specified in handling paranormal activities. They were curious about me, so I agreed to let them test me. In exchange they would announce my people's existence to the rest of the supernatural world."

He stared at her with wide eyes. Shocked. This girl was brave. "And it worked?"

She nodded again, with a little bit of pride this time. "There's still alot to be done, but we're working on it. At least now everyone knows that chameleons exist."

He looked away and stared at the snowy ground. Kylie's words reminded him of two things he learned from movies and school. First was curiosity: scientists were always curious about the workings of extraterrestrial technology and the workings of magic, and then they would pull all kinds of resources to satisfy their eagerness for knowledge, including the murder of one of their own. "Knowledge is power," his dad told him once; the second thing was racism. Lots of people were racists in the past, repellent to people from foreign lands and cultures. Racism was what led to hatred and destruction between the inhabitants. The proportions had lessened over the years, but they still existed in many countries. Russia had totally banned open affection of homosexuality. He was both glad he didn't live there and angry at those jerks who made that law. It was because of such things that the world couldn't be a better place.

His thoughts took a U-turn all the way back to his own situation and was utterly thrilled by it. Shadow Falls was accepting to all supernatural species. This was the place where no one had to hide themselves, and could be accepted by each other. He had felt some of that since he arrived. His new friend Freddie spoke to him and treated him like a friend. And Diego was very friendly too. Michael wasn't quite as friendly or open, but he hadn't tried to frighten him, either.

It suddenly clarified. While he may not be in his old world anymore, this new one may not be quite so bad either.

"Okay, enough about me now," Kylie said, pulling his mind back to the present. "Do you have any idea what you might be?"

He sighed. Irritation started eating his insides, and he felt compelled to change the subject. But the girl had shown him much courtesy by sharing, so he should do the same.

"No idea," he admitted. "The best I can do is guess. And I don't got enough clues to come up with a theory." He wanted to stop there but then decided to spill about the whole water incident, hoping that some answers might come if he talked about it. "Two weeks ago, I saw a figure in the water. And this morning, I saw it again when I was trying to get some water to drink. The image was kinda blurry, but..." he trailed off.

She cringed her eyebrows to study him.

"Any idea what it could mean?"

She shook her head. "I don't know. But you should bring it to Holiday or Burnett, the principals. They might be able to help you come up with a theory. You can trust Holiday. If you don't want her to share something with others, she'll respect your wishes. She's very understanding and really sweet." The way she addressed the headmasters' names and complimenting Holiday showed emotion. They must be close.

He nodded. "I'm supposed to meet with her after lunch."

She nodded with a look of approval. "That's good."

Somehow he sensed that Kylie could be a very good friend. Like Freddie. Nothing like his best bud, Benny, who cared for nothing but fun and competition. He hardly ever felt comfortable to share with the guy. You could never tell him anything personal without hearing a mocking comment or an insult that made you regret telling him. Snow only stayed with him because he was his only friend in junior high. That, and Benny was always fun-loving and carefree, something Snow couldn't have on his own.

Snow had other friends, but he never felt comfortable enough to talk to them.

So, this was really new to him. For the first time since he arrived, he felt belonged. He felt accepted. Maybe coming to Shadow Falls wasn't so bad after all. His ears tuned in to the sound of calming water again, and he welcomed it.


	9. Chapter 9

**CHAPTER NINE**

Snow went straight to Holiday's office after lunch. They discussed his adaptation to the new school before moving on to heavier subjects. Yup, he told Holiday what happened this morning with the water.

She caressed her belly while she listened to Snow. He could see the love in her eyes. The love a mother had for her child. "Do you mind describing the figure to me?" she asked.

He tried to remember the image. It was as hard as studying for midterms. "I'm not sure, it was very blurry," he said, "but I think it looked kind of human. There was an ocean floor right before it appeared."

Fear began to climb its way to his chest again, making it difficult to breathe. Holiday placed a hand on his, and her comforting touch somehow made his fear fade. He used the new sensation to fight the fear and read every detail in the memory. Except he couldn't.

Frustration started to build. He tried to fight it and remember more clearly, but the image was too vague.

"I'm sorry, that's all I can remember. Is it even possible to have visions like that as your powers? Because I haven't seemed to show anything else but these weird visions."

Holiday grinned and hiccuped. "I would say some of your gifts are surfacing to build up your body's maturity. I'm sure that it will all come together eventually. You're just coming into your powers, which means it'll probably take time before your powers manifest funny and completely."

"But you're sure I'm not human?"

She nodded. "Your pattern may be one of a kind, but your ability to read brain patterns confirms that you're more than human. Crazy people show the same reading on their brains, but they can't see patterns like you can."

He sighed and sat back on his chair. "I just can't take it."

"Can't take what?"

He was about to tell her the adoption, but decided against it at the last second. "Not knowing anything," he said instead. "I thought I knew everything about myself, and then all of a sudden I find out that everything about me was kept in the dark." _Yes, I'm referring to my parents hiding the fact that I wasn't from their gene pool._ "I never even knew about any of this until..." His chest grew heavy. "I'm just not sure if I'll be able to figure it out. I've learned to recognize other species, and there hasn't been one that could've matched mine. Your husband said that my pattern isn't the same as a chameleon. If that means I'm some brand new species, then I don't see how I will figure it out."

Holiday nodded calmly and hiccuped twice. "I understand how you might feel about this situation of yours. And I know it feels endless right now, but you are going to figure it out. The answer is always here, and I know you will find it when you need it the most."

"When I need it the most?" he repeated and snorted sarcastically. It wasn't funny even a tid bit. "I'm sorry, but I've been bugged by the 'what-am-I?' question since I found out that I wasn't human. Questions that have been inside me for quite some time, and I really need my answers."

Her lips pulled up into a sympathetic smile.

"From my experience, the first key to solving the maze of a puzzle is to believe that anything can be possible even when it doesn't seem like it," the principal said with a grin. "It's something that Kylie Galen enlightened me on when she came to this camp. Her frustrations ate away at her just like yours are eating away at you, but she still charged ahead and kept searching for answers. Not many people knew about the existence of chameleons until last year when they decided to come out in the open. Your situation right now is quite similar to Kylie's."

In spite of the building frustrations, Snow's lips curled up to an honest smile, again sensing the woman's fondness of the girl. "She told me that I could trust you. From the way she talks about you, she seems to like you alot. And I can tell the same thing from you, too. You two must be close."

She nodded with a brighter smile, showing her teeth. "Yes, we're very close. She's like a sister to me." She checked the clock and saw the time. "I'm afraid our meeting is over. But if you find something - anything at all or just need to talk to someone, you can come see me. Day or night, I'll be available to you."

The woman's gentle eyes radiated so much optimism that he could feel it touching his skin. And he did believe what she said about being willing to talk if he ever needed to turn to her, but he wasn't ready to be a bad influence to the baby or to Holiday by waking them up at night. "I think I'll come see you at daytime, considering it's healthier for you and the baby to have more sleeping hours."

"Supernaturals can survive on lesser sleep, but I appreciate your consideration."

He grinned at the new knowledge. "Later, ma'am." He stood up and left for English class.

* * *

He was one step away from leaving the porch when his eyes caught the small water puddle right below the wooden stairs. Then he recalled the sound of running water earlier.

"Hey, Snow," Freddie called from several feet away and broke Snow's concentration. "Come on, we got Algebra next."

The rest of the day passed in a blur. Everyone got algebra assignments due next week. Snow wanted to catch up on some reading, but he had to talk to Diego first. The vampire had been absent all day long, and now Snow was really worried. If he didn't find him at the cabin, he would go directly to Burnett and demand to know Diego's whereabouts. The image of an angry Burnett filled his mind, and he was slightly afraid to face him. But if it meant he could help a friend, he would try it.

When he saw Diego at the kitchen counter of their cabin, he was relieved that he didn't have to face Burnett, and, more importantly, to see that Diego was okay. Or at least alive. There were no bloodstains on his shirt, so that should be a good thing. Except he didn't look happy.

"Hey," Snow said, trying to hide his relief. "Is everything okay?"

Diego nodded and swallowed a large gallon of red liquid. Of... blood.

_Oh, God, _he thought. His stomach turned inside out again. The chicken rice dish he had for lunch almost crawled up to his throat. He covered his mouth and drew in a deep breath to keep the food from coming up.

"You okay?" Diego asked, apparently missing that he was repulsed by the glass of... blood.

A few seconds later, he finally noticed. "What? Blood repulses you?" he asked nonchalantly. "Or are you finally feeling repulsed by the idea of rooming with a vampire?"

He shook his head, but then recalled that Diego was a walking lie-detector. "I'm sorry, I'm still getting used to being around a vampire," he confessed. "But I've been worried about you all day. Since you skipped school." That was the truth.

Diego snorted. "You were worried about me?" he said in a tone of disbelief and meanness. "Like hell you would. I saw the way you look at this glass of blood, and the way you look have when I drink this shit in front of you. If anything you prob'ly can't wait to shove my vamp ass into another cabin."

Frustration built in his chest and pushed his initial digust into the very back of his mind. "Is that how you see me? Really? I can't just worry about my friend?"

Diego didn't answer. He just ignored him, and frustration slowly heated to anger.

"Fine." He started to walk into his bedroom and get away from the infuriating vamp, but new words formed in his head and forced their way out of his mouth so fast he had no idea what he was doing when he turned back. "No, you know what? You can choose not to believe me, but I _was_ worried about you. And I'll continue to worry about you for as long as I'm here. Whether you drink blood or not, that's a totally other issue. Sorry, but I'm not gonna say the opposite to satisfy your blood-drinking ass for a head."

Diego looked at him. For a moment, they didn't speak or move. Tears started filling his black irises, and he swallowed another sip of blood. Then he looked down on the wooden floor and inhaled a deep gulp of air. "Whatever," he moaned.

Snow convinced himself that there was nothing else he could do and shot back into his room. He stayed in there, studied and mentally listed down the things that happened since he came to Shadow Falls to distract himself from thinking about vamp-boy. From learning about the existence of other species to the water incident.

An hour later, the cabin door sounded in the distance. He supposed Freddie or Michael was back.

Snow's bedroom door banged so hard it could've cracked. He turned around in his bed to look at it.

"What?" he asked, both scared and frustrated by the lack of respect.

Michael swung open the door. "Burnett asked me to tell you that he wants to see you in his office," he said nonchalantly, like it didn't matter what the sudden meeting was about as long as he delivered the message.

"Thanks," he said carefully.

Michael went back into his room. The werewolf was completely opposite to Freddie and Diego. During breakfast and lunch, Michael chatted with his group of weres.

So it was probably a werewolf thing. They only stick with their own kind. It made him wonder why they had bothered to come to a school mixed with other supernaturals. Then he remembered Lucas, the werewolf who stood next to Kylie during Campmate Hour. Maybe not all werewolves were exclusive.


	10. Chapter 10

**CHAPTER TEN**

Burnett was talking on his phone when Snow reached his office. Talking loudly.

"Keep him there," he said in a rough, manly and scary voice. "He's not getting anywhere for the next twelve hours. If he's with one of the gangs, then he was here to... just don't let him outta the cell."

Cell? What was going on?

Burnett hung up. Snow waited a few seconds before he knocked the door.

"Come in," Burnett barked.

"You... you wanted to see me?" he stuttered.

Burnett pressed a hand on his forehead and spoke with a restrained tone. "You heard."

He knew what he was referring to. "Did something... was that what this morning's alarm about? Did someone from one of those gangs break in?"

"Don't worry about it. It's being taken care of."

He moved around his desk and settled in his chair.

"Please, have a seat." His voice sounded calmer than it was a few seconds ago. Snow was impressed. "I'd like to talk to you about your meeting with Holiday."

He removed his winter coat and sat at the opposite side of the desk.

"She told me what happened this morning. After our encounter in the woods."

He nodded.

"She also told me that you saw something in a glass of water."

He nodded again. Silence reigned. "Did you ever see its face?" Burnett asked.

Snow shook his head. "I dropped the glass before I could see anything else. The image was kind of blurry, I couldn't see its face."

Burnett nodded with a look of disappointment, but relented. "If it happens again, I want you to come talk to me. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir."

"Other than that, how are you adapting?"

Snow wasn't sure if he wanted to answer, but as odd and out of place as it felt, he actually liked the school a little better than yesterday.

"It feels better than yesterday," he admitted.

Burnett showed a half-smile. "I believe you will like it here. People at your age find it hard to live a life that is considered 'normal', especially vampires and those whose parents are kept in the dark about their kids' conditions. If you give it a little more time, I'm sure you'll come to love it here."

"You sound so sure."

Burnett's half-smile grew to a full one. "I've had some good experience here. Still having it." His voice rang honesty, and it made Snow like the vice headmaster a little more.

He realized Burnett was right about one thing: in time, he will come to like Shadow Falls. Then he remembered someone who didn't. "Does Diego hate being here?"

Silence reigned for a moment. Snow deliberated if asking about Diego's past was a wise decision. But it was too late to take it back.

"He had a rough upbringing," Burnett finally said. "Since he wasn't supposed to be involved in our world, it's been difficult for him to find a place to fit in. Even among vampires. And other than his natural evasiveness, being vampire comes with some new difficulties other than the need for blood."

Snow nodded. Guilt of curiosity slid its way inside his chest.

"Thank you, sir," he said politely.

"You're welcome. I'll see you later."

With that, Snow left the office without another word.

Needing lone time, Snow walked into the cold woods, off the path to his cabin. The distant sound of water pierced into his ears, and seemed to somehow calm his frustration, and he walked in that direction. He reached the stream after minutes of walking. Through the sound of running water, Snow also heard what sounded like a waterfall in the distance. But contrary to the river, there was a sense of repulse. He looked in that direction, but felt unwilling to look there. So he returned his attention to the river.

For a moment, he wondered if the mermaid's image would appear in the surface of the water like before. As freaked out as he was, there was something about her that felt oddly familiar.

He hadn't seen her before, had he?

He couldn't remember.

Closing in beside the river, Snow knelt down and reached for the cold water with his hand. The stream felt like icy needles pricking at his fingers, but it wasn't painful. In fact, it felt almost warm. And quite pleasant, if not awesome. The sensation slowly reached up to his arm and made him want to reach further in.

What am I thinking?

he thought to himself, pulling the mental brakes, and quickly pulled out his hand.

Tiny droplets of water splashed up from where his fingers touched. And froze and dangled in midair.


	11. Chapter 11

**CHAPTER ELEVEN**

Snow stared at the tiny floating droplets. Yes, they really were floating. In midair, about four inches above the stream and hadn't dropped back in. He blinked. Still there.

His mind froze for a moment while he worked to take in what was happening.

His glance shifted up to his open hand briefly.

Was he doing this?

The question lingered and pulled at his mind until an answer appeared.

_"If you're seeing brain patterns now, it's only a matter of time before you begin manifesting other powers." _Mr. Richards's warning repeated in his head.

Was this it? Was he showing other powers now? Powers other than looking into others' minds? Other than seeing pictures in water?

Several emotions came at once, crowding every little space inside his chest. Astonishment, fear, and mostly, curiosity.

Suddenly wanting to know what else he could do, he pushed away those feelings and focused on the water droplets. He opened his palm and wiggled his fingers carefully. The drops shifted positions and shaped what looked like a tiny Mickey Mouse emblem.

He gasped.

_Oh, God!_

Snow jumped away from the edge. The droplets fell back into the water. He didn't know he'd stopped breathing until he began to choke.

_Did I do that? _The question bounced around his skull like a bouncing basketball locked in a tiny cage.

But if he did do it, what did that mean?

He pointed his hand to the water again, palm front, and slowly wiggled his fingers. Water droplets separated from the river again.

Different emotions curled inside him into a ball. He felt them all at the same time and started hyperventilating again, and the water dropped back into the river.

He put his emotions on a mental list: fear was on top of it. But below fear there were amazement, curiosity... and desire. Desire to know what he really was. There were other emotions swirling, but he couldn't decipher them.

Without thinking, he moved his hand at the water again, and just like before, tiny droplets lifted off the stream. He closed his eyes to visualize a shape and wiggled his fingers. The droplets had bended and formed a tiny circular spring when he re-opened them.

Amazement overtook the fear that swelled inside him.

_This is _sooo_ cool,_ he thought excitedly and tried to re-shape the water droplets again.

After thirty minutes of playing, he finally decided to call it quits and went back to his cabin.

* * *

His mind played with the idea of having power over water the whole way back that his glance almost missed the cabin. He walked in and was about to close the door behind when he saw Diego standing in front of him. His face was unreadable.

"Is everything okay?" he asked nervously and closed the door.

Diego didn't answer at first. He shrugged, pursed his lips and looked away for a brief second, looking like a lost child. "I...," he trailed off.

Snow was confused.

"I want... to apologize," he stuttered, as if he wasn't used to being submissive. Either it came with being vampire or submission simply wasn't part of Diego's personality. Snow supposed having had a rough upbringing could make a person act macho.

"I'm sorry..." he continued. "For being such an asshole."

Snow grinned. The Diego standing in front of him right now looked like a different person. He didn't see a vampire with a badass attitude, but a boy with a soft expression. "Um... i-it's all right," he stuttered. "It's not like I haven't seen others like you before. There was this one time my best friend Benny got in a fight with a half-Jew and had to be sent to detention for a week. I didn't say anything, but that kid Jamie was highly aggressive because others bullied him for being half-Jew."

Diego snorted. "Are you saying I'm who I am because you think I was bullied?"

"I'm saying everybody's got problems that make them act in certain ways, and when those things become unbearable, you harden yourself to keep from getting hurt. And by doing that, you gradually shape your personality until you don't know who you are anymore." He stopped himself. "I sounded like a wise-ass, didn't I?"

Diego's lips curled up into a smile, and that brightened his face. The natural light shining in through the open door touched his pale skin, making him look even more handsome. His eyes met Snow's and froze there. Snow found himself lost in those beautiful brown eyes. His mind turned completely blank.

Diego looked away just as a new sound of footsteps came up the porch. Snow, suspecting that it was one of his other roommates, stepped away from the door. Michael then walked in.

"Hey, Michael," Snow greeted.

The were made a nodding gesture and exchanged a somewhat hostile glance with Diego before walking straight into his bedroom without another word. Snow threw his hands up in the air in frustration. Were all werewolves exclusive to other species, or was it a Michael thing, like evasiveness being Diego's?

Deciding that he had enough problems on his platter, he let it be.

"Werewolves are always like that," Diego said as if he had read his mind. "Ignore him." His eyes cut to over Snow's shoulders right before Freddie came in.

"Hey, guys. Whazzup?"

Snow's phone buzzed in his pocket.

"'scuse me." He pulled it out and unfolded it to find a new message.

_DUDE, WANNA HEAR FROM YA. HOW R THINGS AT FREAK SCHOOL? STILL CAN'T BELIEVE U GO THERE. NOTHING MORE THAN A BUNCH OF FREAKS. U SHOULD COME HOME 'N' WIN THE TROPHY AGAIN._

_ANYWAY, SEE YA THIS SUNDAY._

_BENNY_

Snow sighed.

Oh, great. The last sentence meant Benny was coming for parents day. While he missed his best friend, the idea of Benny being at Shadow Falls bugged him.


	12. Chapter 12

**CHAPTER TWELVE**

The next four days passed fairly quickly. Burnett was right; he did come to like Shadow Falls. All the students were fairly friendly, excluding the weres and some of the snarky vamps. He had formed a bond with two of his roommates, and even befriended Kylie and her group. Occasionally he would sit at their table at lunch and dinner. Of course, it meant that he had to listen to Della and Miranda's bickering. But no matter how many times they fought, it never got physical; Snow began to wonder if it wasn't their way of communicating. Seeing blood in glasses still made his stomach turn, but it wasn't making him all that wrenched inside anymore. To his surprise, he had even gotten used to the other vampires. It probably had some to do with him being paired up with a few of them during Campmate Hour, which by some universal arrangement had made him spend an hour with a vamp twice in a row. He did take advantage of the activity to learn about the species' respective cultures. So far, he had learned that vampires were physically stronger than weres, whose strengths varied with the phases of the moon; they were only at full power once a month. Steve, the shape-shifter, talked endlessly about Della. Obviously the boy had it badly for the snarky vamp. He did tell a few basic information about his kind, though.

"Our powers vary on different levels; everyone shifts at a rate of their own, some faster than others and some could basically turn into any creature using their imagination," told the shifter.

The information had Snow's eyes pop wide open. His jaw dropped.

Steve went on after a moment. "Half-blood shifters, however, are more limited to changing into something smaller or closer to their size. But the one thing we can't do, and that applies to all shape-shifters, is that we can't change our gender. Meaning, I can't turn myself into a girl."

Unable to help himself, Snow coughed in laughter. When he stopped, he asked another question.

"So what are your kind's rules? I hear most of them are the same to all supernaturals, but there are exclusive ones as well."

Steve shrugged. "Not that many for shifters. But we are forbidden to use our powers in front of humans. For obvious reasons. Others include us being forbidden to hurt our own kind simply by provoked anger. Although the restriction could be really hard sometimes, especially when the other party is good at pissing you off."

Snow recalled the night he and Freddie almost broke out in fight.

"I could see that," he said, and then moved back to Steve's favorite topic: Della.

Though Snow had made new friends at the school, none was the first person he turned to when he wanted to talk about his newfound power over water. He had gone to Burnett the next day after his conversation with Diego. Holiday had been his first choice, but the pregnant fae was busy tending to herself in the bathroom, so Burnett had to be the substitute.

"Have you tried to do it again?" asked Burnett after Snow told him.

He shook his head and answered, "I didn't know how I made it work before, so I haven't tried."

Burnett pointed at the coffee pot in the corner. "Try to focus on the water in the coffee pot," he encouraged. "You should be able to feel the power inside you."

Snow sighed, then, relenting his fear, pointed his hand at the pot. His mind completely focused on moving the water inside.

Nothing happened.

He took a deep breath and focused harder. Focused completely on the water inside the object.

Suddenly the pot began to shake. He could feel the water moving as he imagined it. Expanding his imagination, a strong rush of water burst open the lid and freed the liquid inside. The water collected and formed in a giant bubble floating six feet in the air. Burnett, completely shocked by the magic he was witnessing, stared at the bubble. Snow grinned at his success. As frightening as it was, he was rather excited about the discovery his new power.

A sudden sound of door opening sent fear rushing through Snow like electricity, and he instantly lost focus.

And realized way too late.

The bubble fell and burst... right on Burnett's head. The water splashed everywhere, but mostly covered the vampire's clothes and body, and his desk. Some of it hit Snow, but not as much as Burnett.

"Holy shit," a feminine voice muttered.

Burnett turned to the door with eyes glowing blood red and growled, and then stopped himself at the sight of a laughing Holiday.

Since then, Snow had been afraid to face the vamp headmaster. But despite the excitement, the water-controlling power didn't point out what he was.

That same day, he told all his roommates, including Michael who happened to be present when he came back. The wolf was shocked when Snow showed them his power, though he tried to hide it with a cool expression. Freddie, on the other hand, was openly fascinated and asked questions. Diego seemed to pay even more attention to him than to his power. The way he looked at Snow resembled that of a kid who was given a box of fabulous birthday presents. Not that Snow complained. Since their last private moment, they had been a little closer. They occasionally watched TV together, and Snow had offered to help him with algebra even though it wasn't his forte. Diego declined and even decided to skip the homework altogether.

However, fun time with his new friends wasn't enough to totally stray his mind from concerns about his best bud, Benny. He missed having Benny around, of course, but the lad fell into the category of Snow's old life. And when the old category met the new one, they didn't fit. Also, thinking about Benny brought up his parents: the two people who gave him a family and whom he now had to keep secrets from. Secrets he knew were important to keep but loathed all the same. According to Holiday, not every normal person could accept their child being supernatural, and Shadow Falls served as a means to allow supernatural teens to keep in touch with their families. Snow wondered if he would ever be able to confront his adopted parents about his heritage. He doubted it.

To keep his mind off of Sunday, he accepted Derek's invitation to play basketball with some of the other boys. Early February weather was fairly warm enough for some fun outdoors. Snow, Perry, Diego and the vampire Jonathon grouped together against Freddie, Chris, Derek and Brian.

"All right, let's shoot some hooves," Perry cheered and clapped his hands.

"Yeah!" Freddie shrieked enthusiastically. "We're gonna take ya'll down!"

"Not if we take you first!"

"Yay, Perry!" cheered Miranda, Perry's witch girlfriend.

They played until sweat dripped down some of their foreheads. Snow felt exhilarated, and it felt great. Even more, he felt belonged.

Freddie, Perry and Derek showed their share of sweat and exhaustion. The vampires were the only ones who didn't look one bit winded. Perry was double-blocked by Derek and Brian, so he threw the ball to Diego, who caught it before Chris could intercept it. Diego eyed at Snow as he tried to dash around Chris, and threw the ball directly toward him. He jumped, ready to catch with his hands. Another set of muscular arms blocked his sight... and the elbow hit directly on Snow's nose.

The force of the elbow sent him falling to the ground.

"Ow," he muttered and pressed a hand to his nose. Something that felt like light liquid started running down his lips and his fingers.

"What the hell's wrong with you?" Diego yelled.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to," Freddie apologized.

"You freaking broke his nose." He seethed.

Snow was busy tending to his injury, but when he heard pushing, he instantly looked up. Diego and Freddie were glaring at each other, their eyes glowed a matching red color. Snow realized the color stemmed from rage and violence was seconds away.

He stood up and said, "Hey, hey, hey. Please, don't start. Look, I'll be fine. I'm fine." That's a lie. His slope ached like a hundred needles pricking it as he tried to sound casual. He hoped it wasn't broken, but knew hope was useless.

Derek put one hand on Diego's shoulder and another on Freddie's. Instantly their tension began to diminish. Snow couldn't be sure, but he recalled Holiday doing the same thing right before his fear began to soften. Perhaps faes had that kind of power over people's emotions. And since Derek was half-fae, he might have that effect on people, too. The newly arised suspicion made his fondness of faes drop a level. Faes may be lovely, but the idea of them having power over people's feelings made it uncomfortable to be around them.

Miranda and Jenny came to the field.

"Should I get Kylie?" Miranda asked. "She can heal your nose."

"Oh, I saw her an hour ago. She went to town with Lucas to buy some new supplies," Perry said.

"Oooh, I'll bet," Miranda crooned.

"That's fine, it's just a nose bleed" Snow said, not wanting any more tension. "I think I'll just get back to the cabin and cover it with some cold water."

He started walking away. Diego caught up with him in a sec.

"I'll go with you," he said with a persistent tone. "You look like you could use a band-aid."

Snow wanted to tell him no. The words were right on the tip of his tongue, but his mouth failed to release them. Diego, eyes a golden glow, put a cold arm on his left shoulder and nudged him walked away from the basketball court. His touch may be cold, but it somehow felt warm to the core. It felt even better when his hip touched Snow's side.

He didn't want Diego to let go.

They arrived at their cabin in minutes.

"You sure you don't wanna go back to the game?" Snow asked after settling down on a chair by the kitchen counter while Diego went to get a dry towel. Blood was still running down his nose.

"It's a game, not a competition," Diego countered.

He ran a dry towel over some warm water on the sink then returned to the counter to hand it to Snow. He pressed it to his nose and closed his eyes.

His mind trailed to the water pressed against his nose, totally focused on it. After a moment, his eyes re-opened and saw Diego staring at him with wide eyes. His jaw dropped open.

Oh, God. Did his nose look awful? "What's wrong?" He tried to sound casual. "Did Freddie give me a throughout nose job?"

Diego snorted and shook his head, eyes still wide. "Your nose is completely fine," he said. "I mean, like completely."

Snow stared at him. He pointed to the bathroom. "See for yourself."

He stood up, and walked into the bathroom and looked into the mirror. He _saw_ it. The nose was perfectly healed. Not even a bruise on the skin.

"How did _that_ happen?" he murmured.

"You okay?" Diego's voice sounded at the door.

He hadn't even noticed he was standing there. "Fine. Just befuddled."

When he turned around, their faces met. Diego's eyes spoke of wonder. "You got some serious powers growing inside you, man," he said in an awed voice.

He had no answers for that, but also found Diego's astonishment entertaining. It was the first time he noticed other expressions of the vampire, and he liked it. He looked good with that face. When he smiled, his eyes glowed in a natural way.

Diego leaned in closer. His eye color shifted from dark brown to golden yellow. Snow was so mesmerized by his magnificance that he didn't even know how close they were until he realized he could count Diego's eyelashes. Then he found himself wanting to lean in closer. To k-...

The cabin door opened, and that put an end to their moment. And also put a stop to what he realized now was a ridiculous thought.

"Knock, knock," Freddie said loudly from the door. "Anybody home?"

Diego leaned away as he said, "In the bathroom." The sentence came out almost like a growl. His eyes were still glowing.

Oh, for God's sake, stop! Snow thought and beat himself mentally.

That kind of thought was nothing more than silly.

Oh, brother. Things just couldn't get better, could they. And here he thought he could have more on his plate.

Freddie eyed at them in confusion. "Are you guys okay?" he asked.

Diego leaned away but didn't speak. Neither did Snow.


	13. Chapter 13

**CHAPTER THIRTEEN**

Friday night, Snow decided to eat dinner out on the office cabin porch. The cold lingering in the air pricked at his skin, but it didn't bother him. Kylie and Freddie had invited him to sit with them but he declined.

Not that he didn't feel rude about it, but it was hard to be in a room full of people who stared at him. Yup, Diego had told Freddie about Snow's healing power, and then Freddie told Perry, and... wouldn't you know it, news spread around like the sound of a gunshot. Not a single person didn't look his way when he walked in through the door, even though they looked away just as quickly.

"Your pattern's never changed, so they're getting bored," Freddie whispered to his ear in an apologetic tone.

_That _was irritating, too. He felt like the clown who failed to make his viewers laugh. And he didn't like the idea one bit. But the irritation couldn't compare to his... _attraction_. Yes, he admitted it. He was attracted to Diego. He didn't even look at him as a blood-sucking monster anymore, just a person who had a rough life and never had guidance or comfort until now. And that made it even harder to be around him.

Snow had evaded him since yesterday. He even stayed in his room until Diego left first. He had enough to worry about other than his attraction.

"How much longer do you think you can avoid me?" a deep, masculine voice sounded off the porch.

Snow knew who's voice it was, and was afraid to be right. He slowly looked up. Yup, he was right.

Diego settled down on the chair next to his.

"I... I'm just..." he trailed off.

"Disgusted?" His tone held accusation and hurt.

Disbelief and confusion swirled in his head. "Why would I be disgusted?" he asked.

"Because I'm a friggin' vampire. Because you're ashamed that you like me." Snow's jaw dropped. Diego continued, "Because you're scared to be with a vampire."

How could Diego think that way? He'd already learned to see past the exterior of the vampire.

"No, I'm not ashamed," Snow argued. "I'm just... I don't want this."

"Don't want what?"

Confusion swirled in his head. He thought hardly until a first thought came to mind. "I'm not gay, Diego." His tone sounder harsher than he wanted.

His heart skipped a beat, but he wasn't planning on admitting it. Even if Diego knew if was a lie.

"Did I say you were?" He said in a lighter tone as if trying to lighten the tension.

Except he wasn't feeling it. His mind mostly wound to Diego's sexy feature, and that made it even harder to focus.

_Stop me!_

He dropped his plate of sliced pineapple pizza and darted off the porch. Away from Diego. And that felt wrong.

"Is this how it's going to be from now on?" Diego asked loudly, enough for the students in the dining hall to hear him.

Snow turned around and shushed him. The last thing he wanted was for someone else to know about them. "They can hear you."

"They can _smell_ you," Diego countered. "Vampires and werewolves can smell when you're attracted to somone. And faes can read your emotions. And I'm betting you're uncomfortable because you don't like the idea of being attracted to me."

"I'm not supposed to be attracted to you." Rage started rising in Snow's chest, though he wasn't sure if he was upset with his attraction or his recently messed up life. "I'm not even supposed to be here. I'm _supposed_ to finish my high school years as a swimmer champion. I'm _supposed_ to be with my friends. I'm _supposed_ to be _human_!"

Diego's eyes flinched. "Is this what it's all about? You not wanting to be supernatural? _You_ don't want to be at Shadow Falls and have to accept the fact that you're not human?" His voice grew harsher by the seconds. His eyes glowed a slight red. "You need a reality check, man! First of all, you're here now. Second, you're attracted to me, and it's time you face that. And third of all, you are supernatural whether you want to be or not." He pointed at his own chest. " _I_ wasn't supposed to be supernatural. And yet I got pulled into this world, but at least I'm dealing. There are a whole lot of shit in the world, man. It's not supposed to be black and white. That's how I see it, and that is how I deal."

Snow's rage grew to the point that he wanted to scream and punch. "And I'm betting that your way of dealing has nothing to do with you wanting to leave behind your life at the foster program, where you never had the chance to even find out who your parents were." He flinched internally at those words.

Diego's eyes burned with a bright red color that made him look anything but human, but he didn't speak. He just stood there. Fangs elongated underneath his upper lips, and then he started growling like a beast.

Snow was way past being afraid at this point.

Diego walked forward until Snow felt his breath.

"You don't know anything," he spit through his fangs. He looked angry enough to kill.

Diego darted past him into the forest. Snow looked over his shoulder at where the branches wiggled by Diego's impacting speed, and felt guilty about it.

How he could like someone he didn't want? But the truth was, he couldn't worry about it for now. He had enough on the plate to wallow about. He still hadn't figured out who his birth parents were, how his powers worked. And most of all, he still hadn't figured out what he was or how he fit into this new world.

Maybe if he figured things out, he could make other decisions. Like admitting to others that he was attracted to Diego, and telling everyone that the Whites were his adopted parents. Not that he would've looked forward to the admission.

* * *

Snow reeled from his conversation with Diego and the feelings that came with it, which were enough to keep him up for most of the night. He hardly slept at all.

He worried about seeing Diego in the cabin living room when he walked out. Not that he had to worry long. The vampire's bedroom door was wide open. Freddie and Michael had already occupied the living room.

That made him feel worse.

_Oh, great, _he thought. He was going to be in a gloomy mood for the entire day. And tomorrow was gonna be even worse. He didn't even want to think about it, so he got ready for school and tried to put his mind on the lessons.

But it didn't help that much. Every now and then, his mind disobeyed and wound back to Diego, who didn't even show up in class or Campmate Hour. When the teachers called Diego's name, Snow or some of his classmates came up with some excuse about running errands. Freddie joked about the vamp lacking some AB positive in his system. Not that Snow was in a good enough mood to appreciate the humor.

"Snow," Kylie called him around noon. "Holiday's asked me to run some errands in town, but my friends are busy and I need a few people to help me. So, I want to ask, are you free for the afternoon?"

He could use a reprieve from Diego and all his other issues, so he answered, "Sure, no problem."

The ones who came with them were Snow's roommate Michael, whom Kylie's boyfriend Lucas had asked to accompany them in his place, and Mandy, the giggly and friendly fae. Snow remembered her from Campmate hour, when she French kissed the warlock student she got paired up with. They got to town with a minivan borrowed from Holiday.

Michael and Mandy went to the store for teacher supplies while Kylie and Snow went to the bookstore.

"Mrs. James placed an order here last week," Kylie told the clerk when they walked in, and handed over a paper form. "She told us to come pick it up today."

The clerk held up an index finger and said, "One minute." He walked into the back of the store.

Snow used the time to take in the place. It was small for a bookshop. It looked large enough to make a sweet living room, but with three bookshelves placed in the center and two placed against the walls, it looked pretty tight. The open gap between the shelves was so little that it could only fit one person.

"I've never been to this town before," he told Kylie. "It sure is different from all the other towns I'd been to."

"What, you lived in big cities all your life?" Kylie asked jokingly.

"Well, my parents and I -" Thoughts about his parents brought back some of the ache of being absent from them, and the secret they'd been keeping from him. "- we lived in Florida until I was six. Then we moved to Texas. Every summer, Mom and Dad took two weeks off to take me traveling. I've been to places like Guam, Greece, Thailand, even Costa Rica. Nice places, nice people, but horrible smell. Especially some of the foods. It almost made me never want to go near those countries again." He realized that he was smiling.

Kylie chuckled.

"I've never been to many places," she said. "My dad takes me camping every year in the woods, and we mostly go as far as Lake Tahoe."

Different experiences, but just as important, Snow thought. Important because they had families who loved them. He will always be thankful to have them in his life. He didn't have to walk away from them. But he couldn't walk away from his new life, either. Not when it contained so much he didn't know about, and so much he wanted to learn.

Kylie gave a sympathetic look.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I know it must be hard. Finding out you're supernatural and having to hide it from the people you love."

Her sympathy took him in, and engulfed him like a safe bubble. He told this to Freddie and Diego, and even Holiday, but something about the girl's kind gaze made him want to open up even more. "The hardest part of it is... knowing that you can't ever tell them when you know that you can trust them. I used to tell them everything." _Except about my homosexuality and now my species._ "Not even my pal, Benny, knows as much. But now..." He sighed. "It's like a big part of me had to be kept hidden. And I don't even know what I am yet."

"Shh!" Kylie shushed and put a finger between her lips.

Snow sighed and spoke lower. "But if I am going to tell the truth, they didn't share everything with me, either." The grief and pain returned and pulled at his heart like they were trying to tear it in half. "They never told me I was adopted. All these years, I felt somehow that I was different from others, but being adopted was way off my list of imaginations." Happy memories filled his mind, and that somehow strengthened the joy and gratitude enough to fight back the misery. "Not that I'm not grateful to have them as my parents. They were the best thing that ever happened to me."

Kylie smiled. "I think they feel pretty lucky themselves."

The clerk returned with a large carbon box and two paperbags on top of it.

"Here you go," he said and placed the supplies on the desk before handing Kylie a form to sign.

Snow picked up the box while Kylie took the bags. They were about to walk out the door when Kylie suddenly froze.

"Wait," she muttered and looked over her shoulder.

Snow tried to see what she was seeing, but all he saw was a gray wall next to the desk.

"What is it?" he asked.

She held up her index finger without looking his way. Her exhaling breath released a small steam. That's when he felt cold crawling up to his skin. But unlike winter season, this kind of cold felt different. It engulfed him like a chair that chained his body to it.

"What do you mean?" Kylie muttered at nothing.

Snow remembered that she could talk to the dead.

_Oh, shit!_

He was seeing her talking to a ghost. Well, at least he thought that's what she was doing. It wasn't like he could see it. It gave him a little relief.

The cold faded away in a few short seconds. Did a ghost cause the temperature to drop, or was it merely his imagination?

The clerk eyed at them suspiciously.

Kylie sighed and turned back to him.

"Let's go."

He waited till they were outside to ask questions. "Were you... talking to a ghost in there?"

She nodded hesitantly and started walking toward the store where Michael and Mandy were. "You must be freaking out."

He admitted it. It was a little freaky seeing someone talk to a ghost, but since he didn't see it, it didn't bother him so much. In fact, it made him curious. "I think the others are more afraid than me. But I would like to ask, when they're hanging around, does it feel... cold?"

She confirmed his suspicions with another nod.

He was about to ask more questions when a new sound echoed in his ears. A playing instrument. He turned toward the sound and tried to recognize it. A key tone coming off a piano. Music that echoed from another part of the street. It seethed through the glass windows and took him in.

Snow didn't know he was standing outside the place until he saw the door in front of him. Music continued to echo through the hinges, like it was inviting him in.

He opened. The waves intensified at the huge hole. He walked toward the music and saw it. The source came from a black Victorian piano. Sitting at the front was a gray-haired middle-aged man. His fingers pressed the keys smoothly as they moved with the beat.

"Snow?" Kylie's voice broke through the music.

Snow looked over his shoulder at her.

"Is everything all right?" she asked.

He nodded and answered, "Yeah. Sorry, I just got carried away when I heard the music." Then he realized he wasn't hearing it anymore.

"Can I help you?" the owner asked right when Snow turned his head.

"No, I just... heard you play and..." _And I got curious and had to follow it into your shop._

"Oh, I was testing the piano. It got here today from a diseased estate. I wanted to test the keys to see if it was well-preserved." He turned back to the piano and grinned. "And it looks like it was."

Snow remembered all the musical lessons his father gave him as a kid, and all the other extra lessons he willingly took when his dad couldn't teach him. It had been years since he practiced his skills, perhaps he should give it a shot to see if he hadn't gotten rusty.

"Mind if I give it a try for a little while?" he asked the owner.

"Sure," he allowed.

He sat down and stretched his hands and fingers, and then pressed the La-key. _Well-preserved, indeed._ Slowly, he pressed the keys to re-familiarize himself with the piano using the first melody his dad ever taught , when you stop doing something, your skills get rusty. Fade away, even.

He carefully pressed the keys. For the first few seconds, he focused with all his mind on recalling which key depicted which tone. The music echoed with his movements; he closed his eyes to listen deeper. He listened to the melody pouring in through his ears and into his mind. The soundwaves played perfectly like raindrops falling into water puddles. He ached to hear more of it and desired to play longer. Passion and inspiration teamed up like hot chocolate and whip cream as he changed the tune to something else. He wasn't sure where it came from, and he didn't care. It was too beautiful.

He didn't stop until an unfamiliar ticking sound cut through the music. He turned to the source, and saw a large grandfather clock placed against the wall. And it was because it was six o'clock.

Oh, no, he thought in a panic. He was lost in his own playing that he didn't remember the time.

He stopped abruptly and stood up.

"I'm sorry, we gotta go," he told the owner. Then he turned around and saw Michael and Mandy behind a mesmerized Kylie. "Shouldn't we?"

"Um, yeah, we should go," she answered hesitantly.

Then he looked at Michael and Mandy, and saw the same look that Kylie had. Astonishment. He wasn't surprised. Anyone who heard him play liked his music. And yet, something inside his head said it wasn't just a natural sense of music that captured their attention. He wasn't sure, but ever since he joined the supernatural world, he'd been forced to look at things from a different ankle. Like how a person could float in midair, or how someone could make water move with just a hand gesture.

Maybe this was another part of his supernatural side.

Urgh, great, I'll never been sure about anything ever again, he thought.


	14. Chapter 14

**CHAPTER FOURTEEN**

His mind reeled from the curiosity as they drove back toward camp.

"You were really good with the piano," Kylie complimented from the backseat. "Did someone teach you to play?"

"Yes, my mom," he answered. The word 'mom' hung in his mind. It made him curious in a completely different way. Did his real parents have the same gifts? Or perhaps one of them did?

He'd been so focused on finding out what type of supernatural he was and avoiding Diego that he didn't stop to think that finding his real parents might lead to that answer. If he was supernatural, then they should be too, right? At least one of them.

Realizing he hadn't completely answered Kylie's question, he elaborated, "She's a music teacher. When I was a kid, she taught me everything she knew. When I was ten, I started taking classes to learn more. Learned a lot, too." He grinned at the memory. "Clarinet, electric guitars, drums, even the cello."

Mandy stared at Snow with wide eyes. "Seriously?" she asked. "I've learned one instrument or two, but I've never taken that many."

"My dad has friends at the universities he teaches, so he pulled some strings." That, and he learned everything and memorized it all in a matter of weeks, which made it prominent to learn new instruments.

He wondered why he stopped playing altogether. And remembered.

Benny. The boy who thought classic music was grandma music that belonged in the toilet. Snow stopped playing altogether to keep his friend. He missed Benny, but there were drawbacks to having him for a friend. And tomorrow, he would be coming. And you could only guess what could happen with him here.

"Oh, my God!" Kylie shrieked in a panicked tone, and instantly forced Snow's line of thought back to the present.

"What's wrong?" he asked and looked over his shoulder at her.

Her expression read horror as she faced the window.

He followed, and saw what she saw. Several meters from the bridge they were about to cross clung a young boy to the icy gurder on the edge. And below the bridge was a river filled with a strong rushing waters.

_Oh, my God! _His head repeated Kylie's words in the exact same panic tone.

"Oh, my God!" Mandy screamed, meaning she spotted what they saw, too.

"Michael, get to the bridge, fast," Snow ordered.

He stepped on the clutch and sped the car. "He's gonna fall in before we make it," he said matter-of-factly, but panic existed in his voice, too.

Snow didn't want to think that way. He wanted to save the boy. And that meant they _have_ to make it. They only made it to the side of the bridge and Kylie was about to jump out when the kid lost his hold and fell into the water.

Horror struck Snow and paralyzed his entire body, even the soothing water couldn't chase that away.

Kylie kept running and then jumped in without thinking. Snow snapped out of his shock a half-second later and followed. Whatever the case, he had to try to save the kid. And Kylie didn't seem strong enough to do it alone. Partly yielding to the welcoming water, he jumped in.

The water came from all directions in a force powerful enough to break down a glass window, but he willed himself forward. His body found the proper movements to avoid the stream's force and moved toward where he knew the current was taking him, thinking about nothing but Kylie and the little boy.

The water sent a sense of calm into his chest, allowing him to think clearly. It was like it was telling him that everything was going to be okay. And he wanted to believe it.

It took a second before Snow realized that he was moving faster than he ever had before. Like inhumanly fast. And another second to realize that he was swimming with the current, which smoothed his movements. Not that he had time to enjoy this new piece of knowledge. The kid and Kylie were the priority.

He couldn't see Kylie, but he did see the kid, who now was sinking to the bottom. His eyes were closed and his body didn't move. Snow hoped for the better as he swam toward the boy with all the speed he could exert.

He grabbed the kid and held him closely to his chest. Something tapped his shoulder right then, but he ignored it and swam toward one side of the river. This time the current fought against him, endlessly pushing him off course. He tried to fight it, but the current overwhelmed his own strength.

A sudden flicker of light caught his eye, and a stronger curiosity pulled his glance to it. Right there, in the water, he saw it. The brown-haired silhouette with a lime green fishtail that appeared in the glass of water days before. He saw her face. She was more beautiful than he could imagine. The current did nothing to her hair or her body. She just floated in front of him, like a hologram. The mermaid held out her hand and moved it while wiggling its fingers.

He couldn't understand her at first, but then he finally did and held out his hand. His mind focused on controlling the water, on changing the course to the riverside. He felt energy exerting from his palm and then all the pressure lifted. Or at least moved around him. A stream in the water opened around him and the boy like a protective tunnel. Snow turned around but found the mermaid gone again. Knowing the boy needed oxygen and that Kylie probably was still in trouble, he swam until he reached the surface.

When he tried to stand, he lost his footing and his torso stayed on the waterfloor. Putting the boy's head over the water, Snow looked over his shoulder and...

_Oh my God! _Snow's mind screamed. A gasp escaped his lips. Gasped because of what he was seeing on his lower body.

His clothes and legs were gone. Instead, what attached to his lower body was a long, smooth-skinned white fishtail.

_Oh, my _God_!_

* * *

Snow hadn't finished staring at the beluga-like tail attached to his lower body when Michael reached the riverside and gaped at the same thing. If it wasn't for the soothing water and the fact that they still had an emergency at hand, he would've freaked out over this new issue.

_But not now, _Snow mentally told himself, and then spoke loudly, "Grab the kid. I have to find Kylie. She hasn't gotten out of the water."

Mandy reached them at the edge and eyed at Snow's tail, too.

"I'm right here," a feminine voice said behind Snow.

He looked over his shoulder, but all he saw was a sea lion the size of a mini-boat standing two inches behind his tail. Fear would've taken over if it wasn't for the magical water that smoothed his emotions. He looked around the creature for Kylie, but saw no one. He was about to dive back in when the seal's began to mutate.

_They are a blend of multiple species and share all of their powers._

"Kylie?" Snow muttered to the transmuting sea lion. Five seconds later, a drenched and shivering Kylie appeared where the animal was.

_They are a blend of multiple species and share all of their powers._

Snow moved his eyes before realizing what he was doing and saw the shape-shifter pattern on the girl's forehead. For the first time, he could look into her pattern. H remembered to the first time when he tried to study her pattern and hit a wall, and the time when she told him about the chameleon brain pattern. When she wasn't being anything in particular, her pattern was unreadable. But now, she was. She had turned herself into a shape-shifter and then used the power to turn into a sea lion.

"Get out of the water, hurry," Mandy demanded and gazed at Snow's tail again.

Snow looked in the same direction. He ran his hand over the tail and felt the smooth white skin on his palm. As he continued running his hand over his tail, something else caught his eye: around his abs, right below his ribcage were a set of gills. Three little linen holes on either side.

Amazement and shock flooded his chest; a third emotion was frustration. But there wasn't time for any of that right now. The kid was the priority; and after that, they needed to figure out how to make his tail disappear. He hoped that drying it up would make his legs grow back like in the movies.

Did it work like in the movies?

Snow watched Kylie walk out of the water in shivers. Michael placed the boy on the ground and rested his head on his chest as if trying to listen to his heartbeat. Then he moved up to the boy's head.

"He's alive, but he's not breathing," Michael said.

"Get back, I'll heal him," Kylie said and approached the kid.

Heal him? Did she have healing powers?

She knelt down beside Michael and the boy, and placed one hand on the boy's chest and then the other on his stomach.

"Wait," Mandy said abruptly, "We need to get Snow outta here before someone sees him."

Worries spread on their looks as they refocused on him. Even Snow felt the worries flood his chest, but the water somehow kept them at bay.

"Snow, get into the water and find somewhere to hide for the time being," Michael told him. "We'll tell Burnett and have him send someone to find you."

He nodded and gazed briefly at Kylie as she focused entirely on the boy. Was she healing him? Deciding to ask the question later, he swam back into the river.

The waves kept his worries at bay, but didn't completely chase them away. _What does this mean?_

Holiday had told him that merpeople couldn't live on land for too long without water. And he knew he had survived the lack of water before when he went camping with his dad. Or was there something she did not tell him? Why did he get a tail only now?

And most of all, what did all of this mean?

The answer loomed in the darkest depths of the water.

* * *

"Tell me how it happened again," Holiday asked with Burnett sitting on her desk.

Snow, now back to his regular human self - with legs and all - sighed and told the story like he told Burnett when his team found him. He was the last of the four to be questioned by the camp leaders in their office. "The boy fell into the river, so Kylie and I jumped in to save him. By the time I pulled him out, I had a huge beluga tail on my body and gills on my ribs. Oh, and all my clothes were gone."

Kylie, Mandy and Michael had already gone over the details from their points of view. Since he was the one who saved the boy, his interrogation took longer than the others. Not that he minded. Thankfully, the kid was fine. The ambulance took him to a hospital after Kylie healed him, and hadn't witnessed anything unnatural. Like a beluga tail on a human body.

While Snow was impressed with Kylie's gift of healing, he was more amazed at how his clothes magically disappeared when his tail replaced his legs and reappeared when he dried up. Snow swam approximately five miles down the river and hid behind some leaf-less thornbushes while waiting for Burnett's crew to find him. By the time they did, he had almost completely dried up and transformed in front of Burnett's eyes. Like Mandy, Kylie and Michael, the vamp was shocked to see his tail.

"So, does this mean I'm a merman?" he asked Holiday and Burnett.

They both shared a look.

"I guess it does," Holiday said hesitantly and then made a burping sound.

A sense of accomplishment filled his heart; he knew what he was now. Knew for sure. The sense of victory lasted for a second before more questions started flooding his mind.

"Has my pattern changed?" Show asked and pointed at his forehead.

Burnett twitched his eyebrows and shook his head. "It's still the same. I assume this means that your pattern really points out that you're a merman." Dimples and wrinkles appeared on his forehead as he looked thoughtfully.

"What is it, Burnett?"

Burnett turned to his burping wife with a hesitant look.

"What do you _know_?"

He hesitated telling for a long second. Lucky for Snow, he didn't keep his mouth shut for long, "I remember reading something at the FRU -" FRU - that is the _Fallen Research Unit_, a governmental organization specialized in supernatural cases, of which Burnett was a member. "- about extinct supernaturals. Mermaids and mermen haven't been spotted for over a century. Even with claims of their sightings, no one's ever been able to track them down. Since you're merman -" he waved his hand at Snow. "- I wonder if they're actually hiding on land. Did your parents ever show something different?"

Snow looked down on the table and deliberated. He didn't want to get into it, but somehow it felt right to say it. If he showed his tail now, it would only be a matter of time before the principals figured it out.

"No, they haven't... because I'm adopted."

Holiday and Burnett's eyes widened.

"I found my birth certificate and a newspaper clipping the same day I found out that I was supernatural. That's why they couldn't tell me anything about being different."

Tears filled Holiday's eyes. Snow could feel his own filling. "Oh, I'm so sorry," the fae said with emotion. A hiccup escaped her throat.

The admission hurt like the devil. It was like opening a can of worms that he had fought to close, and now it had opened again and the worms were crawling out. Burnett reached out and patted his shoulder with a concerned look.

Snow wiped away his tears. "I'm afraid they can't tell us anything useful. I found out that I was abandoned in the woods of Maine when they were camping, but..." He bit his lip. "Just please, don't tell anyone about this yet."

Burnett and Holiday nodded.

"Of course."

"Then I suppose we'll have to find out everything about merpeople by ourselves," Burnett suggested.

Snow suspected it was his attempt to change the subject, and he appreciated it. "Hasn't anyone ever encountered a merperson before? I mean, there are documentaries about their existence all over the world."

"Indeed, but no one could be sure if they really existed. Stories about them had roamed the world for centuries. Some of the documents are confirmed by the FRU to be false information for publicity. From what I've learned of them, though, they couldn't abstain from water for an extended period of time. If they did, they would die." He became thoughtful. "If they really were around us, we probably would've recognized their patterns, too. It's not like they could trust witches to hide them. But you've managed to live in the human world without detection... hm, I wonder... maybe they've learned to avoid detection." Whether Burnett was speaking to them or just thinking outloud, Snow wasn't sure.

Frustration started building inside his chest, crowding out his sadness. Apparently, knowing what he was didn't solve all of his problems. He still didn't know how or why his birth parents abandoned him. He had powers growing inside of him, powers he did not understand. And while he was getting used to being at Shadow Falls, the school hadn't provided much information about his supernatural heritage. And then he had to deal with his adopted parents and Benny coming to visit tomorrow. And he still hadn't dealt with his confusing feelings for Diego.

A strong fiery emotion flooded his chest: anger. Anger at everything he could not understand or control. Couldn't he get a reprieve? The anger intensified to the point that he could almost scream.

Holiday landed her hand on top of Snow's. Something about her touch soothed the dangerous feelings inside him. The suspicions of Holiday messing with his emotions stirred, but he didn't want to question it. It was too good to resist.

Holiday turned to her husband.

"Do you think you can find some information on merpeople, Honey?" she asked. The way she said 'honey' rang sweetness and devotion.

Burnett stood sternly, but his eyes reacted to the word, too. "I'm sure there's something there. I have to be at the agency tomorrow, so I can take the time to find some historical files while I'm there."

"You're so smart." She hiccuped, and then she winced and touched her belly.

Burnett immediately knelt beside her in a worried mode. "Are you okay? Is the baby all right?"

She smiled. "We're fine. I think we'll need an appointment with the doctor soon, though."

The couple looked and talked to each other like he was air.

Snow almost rolled his eyes. Frustration stirred. But even he couldn't deny how much he enjoyed seeing the devotion they had for one another. It was like they only had eyes on each other and no one else. Perhaps that'll change when the baby was born, but he doubted it.

"I'll make an appointment tomorrow after my meeting. And I'll go to the pharmacy for some more hiccup remedies and vitamins."

Holiday smiled widely. Burnett leaned in and kissed her. Snow rolled his eyes and looked away to avoid disturbing the couple. And that was all it took to push his frustrations aside... for now. He knew he had to confront them. He wanted to confront them, especially now that he knew what he was. But that never answered his other questions, like where he came from. Where his birth parents are. Or why they had abandoned him.

"Should I leave you two alone?" he asked.

"Yes," Burnett said while kissing Holiday.

_Okay._

Burnett pulled away reluctantly. "I will let you know when I find something."

They started kissing again, and Snow left the office with a smile so real that his problems vanished. There was nothing better than two people who shared the same level of devotion and love.

He thought back to all the times his parents held on to each other. Sure, they had their share of problems and disagreements, but those problems never drove them apart. If anything, they got closer because of them. And even if he might never know who his real parents were, at least he knew how lucky he was to have been adopted by such good-hearted people.

His mind took a U-turn all the way back to Diego. The last words he said to him replayed like a radio.

_... I'm betting that your way of dealing has nothing to do with you wanting to leave behind the life at foster homes, where you never had the chance to even find out who your parents were._

"Oh, my God," Snow muttered. The guilt he felt earlier returned tenfold. "What have I done?"

He recalled Diego's expression after he said those words. Fury. But there was also something else. Hurt. He had been so busy with his own issues that he didn't consider Diego's feelings.

Yes, he was attracted to him, but even if he wasn't ready to act on the attraction, Diego deserved better than his shit.

He got off the porch and started running toward the cabin, hoping to find Diego there.

* * *

He hadn't gotten one mile when the sensation of being followed came so strong that he made an abrupt halt. His shoes deep dug in the muddy ground and almost tripped him over. Sweat from the run oozed down his forehead and tickled his skin.

"Are you okay?" a deep male voice spoke so closely behind him that he jumped. And landed hard on the ground. Fear built and choked in his chest until he saw the person standing behind him. It wasn't until he recognized Diego that relief began to wash over him.

"You scared me," he admitted.

"Sorry, saw you running while I was flying about and decided to follow." The stern voice told him that he was still mad.

He got up and dusted off the dirt and snow. "Actually, I was going to look for you. I want to apologize for last night." When Diego didn't speak, he went on. "I'm sorry about what I said. I overstepped, and I was wrong to say those things."

"Which part?" Diego asked sternly.

"The last one. About you leaving the foster program because of your parents. I realized that I was being a jerk, and I apologize for that. I'm so sorry."

Diego grinned. That smile suited him. For a second, Snow yearned to lean closer. And closer still.

"All right, apology accepted," he said. "Now, let's talk about you. Michael told us what happened when you were on your way back to camp." His eyes furrowed but his smile didn't falter. "You really grew a... tail?" His tone rang curiosity... and befuddlement. His eyes squinted to study Snow's pattern.

"Yeah. Looks like I finally know what I am," he muttered.

The questions he'd neglected to ask started rushing back into his mind. Though he knew what he was, he still didn't know where his lineage originated from or how his powers worked. Where were his birth parents now? And most of all, why did his birth parents abandon him?

"But there's something else bothering you," Diego said, his eyes now held concern. "Is it because you didn't know you could grow a tail?"

He shook his head.

"It's something else." He almost told him the truth. "There's still so much I don't know or understand yet. I'm still adapting to the supernatural world, for God's sakes, and now I finally know what I am, but I have absolutely no idea where it all comes from."

The moment he said those last words, he wished that he could take it back. Diego didn't have to get involved in his problems when he got his own.

In that moment, he realized how similar their problems were. They were both orphans who got pulled into the world of supernatural where things didn't exactly make sense. Like the fact that a guy could fly or grow a fishtail while underwater. But at least Snow had a family. Diego was raised in foster homes.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to rub that in your face," Snow apologized.

Diego didn't look upset. If anything, he was grinning. "Relax, I know what you mean." There was a pause. "So, can you show me? Your tail?"

Snow gaped at him. But as much as the awkwardness and frustration ate away at him, he was glad that Diego was talking to him again. He wanted it to continue.

"Okay, but not here. I _really_ don't want anyone else to see. It's not like I know how it works anyway."

Diego's smile grew. "Then let's get back to the cabin. Freddie's chomping up his eagerness. Besides, everyone at dinner is talking _all_ about you. If you get in there, they'll probably gawk at you like you've grown a 'tail'."

Snow groaned.

Then, Diego wrapped his arm around Snow's waist and held it there. They were so close he could feel his breath. Their eyes met. For one minute, Snow wondered how it would feel like to...

"Hold on tight," Diego said tenderly, and then lifted them off the ground.


	15. Chapter 15

**CHAPTER FIFTEEN**

Snow wrapped his arms tightly around Diego's torso as they flew over the trees. The icy cold breeze blew across his face and pricked at his skin as it sent messages of an upcoming blizzard in a couple of hours, but as always it didn't bother him. He wondered if his endurance to cold weather and weather predictions stemmed from his merman heritage.

He panted heavily for air as while staring down on the ground. It was so weird. The feeling was unlike that of a freefall or a rollercoaster. It wasn't quite as fast, but yet twice as intense. Probably because it was actual flying. Actual freedom from gravity.

The half-full moon shined brightly upon them. The clear night sky showed nothing but true beauty. That and Diego's strong grip made it all just picturesque.

The word "wow" was on the tip of his tongue.

"How'd you like it?" Diego asked through the blowing wind.

He was about to tell him it was great, when something suddenly whooshed past them. Diego's arm around Snow loosened and they fell down together. Snow's back crashed onto something solid and fell through it. Pain washed over him when he hit the ground. Hit hard. Then he heard a loud thump and someone else landed right next to him.

"Ow!"

He recognized Diego's voice. Someone ran into the room.

"What happened in here?"

It was Michael's voice, no doubt. Snow fought the pain to push himself up and realized they were in their cabin when he saw the familiar walls. A very small piece of wood hit the top of his hand and bounced off.

He looked up and saw the huge human-sized hole in the ceiling where they fell through.

"Ouch, this is gonna cause quite a lot of my allowances and my paycheck," he muttered.

A black crow flew in through the hole and landed right next to Diego.

"Sorry, I didn't see you guys."

Snow looked at the bird. He couldn't speak, he just stared. "Did it just...?" he trailed off.

Sparkles appeared around the little bird. Thousands of them. And then, where the bird stood was now replaced by a human-sized Freddie. Snow just stared at Freddie. For the first time ever, he was looking at his friend as a shape-shifter. And that realization came with amazement.

Freddie turned his gaze to the ceiling. "Well, we're gonna be spending a lot more time in our bedrooms now, aren't we."

Michael reported the ceiling to the headmasters. After a long-lasted scold from a very angry and scary Burnett and a phonecall to his parents to tell them the cost of the repair bill, Snow settled down on the sofa beside Freddie while Diego took a shower. Michael rested his back on a wall across the room.

"Burnett sure knows how to make someone feel bad about themselves," Freddie sighed. He endured as much as Burnett's wrath as Snow and Diego did. According to the vampire, he was too careless with his actions and should've considered there could be others out there in the woods. And not just a flying vampire, apparently. Perry, Freddie's fellow shape-shifter, was flying the perimeter on a security check.

"He could use a personality change or two," Snow agreed. "But I don't think you can blame him for being harsh on us. I mean, it is our fault."

Freddie had no saying about that. He changed the subject a few seconds later. "So, I heard you turned yourself into a fish today."

Snow almost wanted to yell at his poor sense of humor. "I turned into a _merman_, thank you."

Freddie gave Michael a curious look. "Did you see him swim in the water?"

Michael returned with a cold stare and shook his head, saying, "No."

The sound of the bathroom door opening sounded in their ears. Snow looked over the sofa. Diego came out wearing nothing but a white towel around his waist. And looked good with it, too.

Snow moved his eyes up and down to marvel the vampire's body. Large shoulders fitting well with the muscular and hairy chest and openly big abs for arms, he almost looked like a gladiator with the looks of a supermodel. He also noticed the small sharp tattoo resembling a dagger branded around the cutest inner belly button he'd ever seen on a guy's six packs. Oh man, there wasn't a single aspect that didn't scream sexy from Diego's body. With water dripping down his abs, he was everything Snow could've ever dreamed of and better.

Snow didn't know he wasn't breathing until his lungs started choking for air. And then he turned away. As hot as the vampire looked in a towel, he didn't want to admit it openly. If Michael smelled his hormones, he'll just have to ignore him.

Diego's bedroom door slammed against its hinges. Deciding to worry about it later, Snow went toward the bathroom. Freddie followed him by inches.

He stopped abruptly and turned around. "Is there a problem?" he asked.

"I'm just curious with what you look like when you turn into a fish," Freddie answered. "Michael's seen it, but he didn't elaborate anything. Kylie's with her boyfriend, and I'm not sure I wanna give that serial kisser of a fae girl a tongue-tied kiss just to get the information outta her. Besides, I wanna see it with my own eyes."

"Who's to say I'll even turn at this point? I took a shower last night and nothing happened."

"All the more reason to find out," he insisted. "Come on, please? I'll leave you to yourself afterward. I won't even watch you take shower."

Snow grunted. He really felt like the alien of a freak show. But as embarrassing as it was, he was curious himself. There was no way to be sure how to initiate the change unless he tested it.

"Fine. Wait out here and don't come in until I say so." He went in and closed the door behind him.

While removing his clothes, he thought about how to initiate the transformation. There was no way to be sure. Obviously it acquired him getting wet, but did it say exactly how wet? Did it come with a certain temperature? Well, he wouldn't know unless he tried it.

Now totally naked, Snow carefully turned on the sprinkler. The hot water pricked his arm. Nothing happened. He lifted one foot into the falling water. Nothing happened either. He tried again with the other foot. Still nothing. Then, very carefully, he stepped into the center and let the water wash all over him. Nothing.

"How's it going in there?" Freddie asked eagerly outside the door.

Snow was about to call it quits and take a real shower when a surge of energy coursed through his body. And then, before he could move, his legs melted and he fell on the floor with a loud thud. His hand accidentally knocked over the folding chair carrying his dry clothes.

"Ouch," he muttered at the pain on his back and flapped his tail.

Freddie knocked the door again. "Well?"

Snow grunted internally. _Urgh, oh well, might as well get it over with._ "Come on in, the door's unlocked," he said begrudgingly.

Freddie opened the door and gave Snow the exact same expression everyone had from earlier. Behind Freddie was a fully-clothed Diego, who stared widely. Michael stood next to Snow's bedroom door, his eyes also focused on Snow's tail.

"Whoa," Freddie sighed, and then said louder, "Holy shit. You _are_ a merman."

His gaze traced Snow's tail up and down. Snow touched the gills on his ribs. Diego walked past Freddie and knelt down beside Snow, his eyes never leaving the tail. He carefully stroked his hand on the smooth skin.

A golden glow emitted from Diego's eyes, and then his expression changed from amazement to something else. Something scary. "Oh my," he muttered. "You smell so good right now."

Snow felt discomfort and worry swell up his chest and block the air in his throat. Was Diego suddenly appealed by his blood?

The image of vampires sinking their teeth into his skin and draining his blood from the vein sent a chill up his spine.

Diego threw his head back, and closed his eyes so hard that it looked like he was trying to concentrate. He drew in a deep breath and exhaled. When his eyes fluttered open, the golden color was gone.

"Ow," Snow winced at the unexpected sting on his tail.

That's when he saw clouds steaming from the beluga skin.

"Whoa..." Freddie moaned with wide eyes, and then said louder, "How did you do that?"

"Do what?"

"What you were doing just then."

Michael stepped beside Freddie, eyeing at the exact same thing. Even Diego glanced at his tail with curiosity.

Snow looked back at it and the little vapor in the air. Did he do _that_? Was it possible that he boiled water and stung himself accidentally?

Wanting to know if he was the culprit of the action, he placed his hand on his tail again and concentrated. Energy generated from his palm and heat started poured over his tail. Where there was water, the heat consumed it. He focused on heating it lightly. Steam floated up and slowly covered the room. You could feel the moist heat on your face.

And then, just like before, sparks of magic swirled around Snow, covering him. When they cleared up, his tail had disappeared and his legs returned, along with the rest of his naked body.

Everyone eyed at his legs, including Snow himself.

"Cool," Freddie murmured.

Ditto, Snow thought.


	16. Chapter 16

**CHAPTER SIXTEEN**

Snow hardly slept through the night. His mind ran through the list of revelations and manifestations of his gifts again and again. Three weeks ago, he was looking into people's brains and seeing images underwater, along with finding out that he was adopted. This past week, he came to a school that housed mythical beings, made water float, and healed his nose. And yesterday he heated water with his hands, and turned himself into a mythical sea creature. And let's not forget the mermaid that he saw when it happened. Why did she look so familiar? Had he seen her before? He guessed there was a big connection, if the tails weren't any indication. If only he could figure out exactly where that connection lied. Maybe it was his real mom? But could he _really_ be sure about that? No, he couldn't. But the possibility was bigger than any other. And then there was the marvelous physique of Diego's body that caused a different kind of stirring to his body core. Not necessarily a bad one, but still somewhat disturbing. Although the image of a shirtless Diego did soften the ever-so-frustrating anger that pounded around his head like... well, like a headache.

When he woke for the fifth time, the sky was still pretty dark. He pressed the light button on his watch and saw that it was almost 5:45 AM. He groaned and fell back on his pillow. Sleep slipped into his mind, the thoughts started repeating themselves again, but this time came with a new, clearer picture: he knew what he was now, which was a big step. But even though he knew what he was, there was something else that still bugged him like a mosquito bite. His birth parents abandoned him when he was a newborn infant, and he didn't know why. Did they not want him? Was he a mistaken pregnancy? Was there something in the universe that told them they should give up on him? Well, if there was, he was gonna debate it and tell it to shove its universal logic back inside its ugly head.

Yes, he has to find out. He has to find his parents and ask them why they made him an orphan, because not knowing was the worst. But what would be the best way to find them?

Could he perhaps wait till the next time his birth mom appeared to him? _Could_ he wait? You never know when she'll even appear. So far, she had only popped in for a visit or two, and never stuck around.

The first idea occured to him, then. He didn't know if it was the best idea, but at least it was a start. And today might be his only shot.

Today was parents day.

* * *

After 45 minutes, he grew tired of reeling in thoughts and got dressed for a morning walk.

The cold air of fresh snow poured through the sealed hole in the living room ceiling and touched him. Yep, it snowed again during the night.

As soon as he walked out the door, the winter breeze blew at him and with it came the predictions of a clear sunny day.

Good, he thought in relief. He needed a clear weather today.

"You can't keep doing this," a deep and harsh male voice came from the woods.

Snow didn't recognize it at first, but then he remembered. Lucas.

"How many times do I have to tell you, Lucas. I can't just ignore them," Kylie's voice followed. "You need to get over it."

Kylie walked hastily out of the tree lines like she was desperate to leave the place. Lucas followed her closely. He spotted Snow and shot a cold look, but he wasn't intimidated by the rude werewolf gazes anymore. Werewolves may be anti-social and cold, but once you get used to them you could learn to ignore them. Hell, he was rooming with one, for God's sake.

Kylie saw Snow and her gaze changed instantly to one of embarrassment.

"I didn't hear anything," he clarified. "I was just passing through for a walk."

Lucas ignored him and pulled Kylie's arm to turn her around.

"Those ghosts scare the life out of you, why would you want to keep helping them?" he asked in a harsh voice, his eyes glowed bright orange. "If you let them in, I don't know how we're gonna be able to handle them. They ruined our last date, for God's sake."

"Only because there was a little girl in trouble," she countered. "Lucas, when are you going to accept the fact that I'm just as much a ghost-whisperer as I'm a protector and a chameleon? I was a holy warrior last year."

Questions formed in Snow's mind, but he didn't let them slip out. From the way they spoke to each other, they were clearly upset enough to ignore him. And it was all because of the ghosts she was seeing. He couldn't understand how it must feel to be placed in a position where everyone looked at you like the weird kid.

"Those are different," Lucas insisted. "Ghosts are dead people. Who knows what they've done when they were still alive."

"Is that how you think of your grandmother?" Kylie said through her teeth. His harsh gaze softened. "Don't say it's different, because it's not. I'm not having this conversation, okay. We're done talking about this." She pulled free and gave Snow a look before walking away.

Snow knew she didn't want to talk loudly in front of others. No one liked to draw this kind of attention to themselves. Lucas kept his stare on Kylie until she disappeared, then he shifted his gaze to Snow for a moment and took off as well. Discomfort lingered in the cold air.

A familiar sound reached him. He recognized the sound of water. This time, he followed it without hesitation. A sense of calm filled his insides as he walked into the woods. The same sensation that offered peace when he was underwater. His mind cleared and all he felt in that moment was freedom.

The sound led him to a frozen lake. The ice looked pretty delicate. It would melt in a few days. The sensation came to him tenfold, like it was ordering him to get in no matter the difficulties. Wanting some reprieve from his nerves about Benny being on campus and a need to think clearly about the questions he'd need to ask his parents, Snow walked straight to the ice and knelt down on the side. Placing his hand on top of the ice, he concentrated on heat. Like last night. Energy oozed from his palm into the lake. Steam lifted and the ice beneath his hand melted to make a hole.

_Come on in, _the water sang seductively.

Knowing that his clothes would reappear when he was dry, he inhaled deeply and dove into the water without stripping.

The moment his tail showed, Snow started to swing his body the way he used to. Rays of early sunshine passed through the ice surface into the watery underworld. The wide deep lake floor shimmered with fragments of glimmering diamonds in different shapes and colors. Without a single aspect of imperfection, the world of water looked like a real-life painting. So beautiful that he thought he had come to the legendary city of Atlantis. Unlike the river, there was no current to challenge his strength and will. Just peaceful offerings. Snow could feel life lingering all around him in hidden places. Not hidden from fear, but hidden because they were in slumber for the rest of the season.

The environment slowly brightened around Snow, showing the underworld more fully. Even brighter than the shades of light coming from above. Snow looked over his shoulder and saw his tail. His glowing tail.

The new light was coming from his beluga merman tail. But he wasn't afraid, just dazed by his glowing tail and embraced by the magic of peace. In that instant, he realized how amazing it felt to be a merman. Any puddle of water offered serenity and harmony. He guessed that was what it must feel like to live underwater. Free. And his lungs didn't even burn. He could probably go on forever without feeling tired.

So he continued like this. Just swimming without stopping, exploring the magical world all the way. Then, suddenly curious with his speed, he started moving faster. Faster. And faster still. Everything around him passed in blurs as he sped around the lake like a torpedo. Different emotions swelled inside him. Excitement, curiosity, amazement, befuddlement. It made everything that felt bad before suddenly feel lighter. He almost couldn't recall any of them.

_He wasn't their son._

That single thought pushed away those amazing feelings at bullet-speed. They weren't gone, just out of reach.

Snow realized then that he had probably been in the water for too long, and swam back to where he came.

The moment he came through the hole, he was startled by two other individuals standing in front of him. Their glances, green and gold, stared with curiosity.

"Whoa... that _is_ a tail," said Miranda, Kylie's witch best friend and roommate, with her jaw dropped. Her boyfriend Perry gazed with a huge smile across his face.

"Looks like we got our first merman on campus," he commented. "Man, it would've been fun to have seen you at dinner last night." Which he skipped to avoid attention and the awkward stares. "Everyone wanted to see your tail. Not that the staff would've let anyone pour water on you."

Snow snorted and pushed himself out of the hole with his bare arms. "I doubt that'd work," he said after he got out. They didn't know he had to be soaking wet into order to initiate the change. "I should probably dry off."

He was about to steam off the water when a thought hit him. He turned to Miranda. "Hey, Miranda. Do you think you could dry my tail with your magic?"

Since he came to Shadow Falls, he had never witnessed any witches or warlocks perform magic. Perhaps now would be a good time. Miranda hesitated.

"I can't," she said. "I..."

"Why don't I do it for ya," Perry offered.

Before Snow could answer, he was already shifting. Like Freddie, thousands of sparkles and electricity wrapped around him and then Perry the boy was a huge green-scaled dragon. It was so big that Snow's heart skipped at beat. Some of the trees behind him and Miranda got knocked over by his flopping tail.

The dragon clawed at the tree in front of him and pulled down a large branch. Smoke escaped through the dragon's nose and mouth, and then he opened his jaw and breathed fire on the ground. The heat blew in Snow's direction. He could feel the water on his body steaming off. When the fire stopped, his face and shoulders were dry, but not enough to return to human form.

Miranda giggled as she marveled the green dragon.

"So beautiful," she muttered.

"Please be careful with that," Snow begged. "It's dangerous."

"Relax," the dragon spoke. Sparkles appeared around it, and then Perry was himself again. "Got you fire to dry you off."

He picked up the burning branch and placed it next to Snow. Perry turned back to his girlfriend. "Hey, Miranda, can you get some more branches?"

She nodded and turned around to collect the frosted branches. "These are a little wet, maybe I should go look for some dry ones."

"No, I think I know how to dry 'em," Snow said and waved her forward.

Miranda hesitated but started forward and put the branches next to the burning torch, which now was beginning to dim. Snow pointed his hand at the branches and thought about heat. His palm released energy and the branches dried in seconds.

"Cool," Perry sighed, his gaze completely focused on the dry branches.

Miranda eyed widely. "How did you do that?"

Snow waved at Perry for the torch, who handed it right to him. "I learned that last night. Pretty awesome, huh?"

Both Perry and Miranda giggled with excitement. Snow lit the dry wood and made a small bonfire, then pushed himself forward to rest beside it. Heat touched his skin and his tail.

"I bet my boyfriend can turn into a merman, too," Miranda said.

Perry smiled widely.

"He can turn into anything. There was this one time he turned himself into a dragon when a warlock fought with him."

Snow remembered what Freddie told him on his first night. "You mean the time when the lunch room got set on fire and Burnett got turned into a kangaroo and Kylie protected you from a fireball?"

"How'd you know about that?"

He shrugged. "Freddie told me."

She sighed. "Anyway, it was the warlock who started it. He was throwing fireballs everywhere, so Perry had to transform into something that could withstand fire. And then all hell broke loose until Burnett changed back into a vampire and stopped it all." She looked at her boyfriend. "I bet you would've won."

He smiled widely.

Snow ignored them and rested his tail by the fire. While Perry and Miranda shared a lovey-dovey topic about their latest date, Snow concentrated on drying until he was a fully clothed human again. His hair was still dripping, but at least the tail was gone. Miranda and Perry gawked at him as if he'd just grown another head.

"That was _so_ cool," Miranda muttered. "I can't believe I'm going to school with a merman. Witches had always been familiar with them."

Snow shot a look at her. "What?"

"So I've learned. In the past, witches were most familiar with merpeople. But no one's seen them in a long time."

"Burnett and Holiday said they were extinct. Do you know why they were declared extinct?" He wanted to know. Could he really be the only one left?

She shook her head. "Sorry, I never paid attention to that. Plus, I have trouble with reading and understanding, so..."

He sighed.

"It's not like there weren't a million reasons," Perry said. "They were hunted for profit by humans."

"Yeah, someone with a fishtail, I'm sure they were quite profitable for circus shows," Snow said sarcastically.

Inwards, he was getting frustrated. While he knew what he was, there was no one of kind at the school. He felt utterly alone, helpless and had nowhere to turn.

Ruffling thornbushes sounded. They all turned around and saw Diego, who looked relieved to see them. Or to see Snow, because he looked directly at him.

"There you are," he said. "I came to look for you. Why did you turn off your cell?"

"What? I didn't turn it off." He drew out his cellphone and checked it. It was on. Odd.

"I tried to call you, but my phone said you were out of reach. It's almost 9:30 now, the parents are gonna start pouring in in about 30 minutes."

9:30? He'd been in the lake for two and a half hours?

"Come on, you better get to the lunch room and have breakfast before they clear out."

* * *

By the time they got to the lunch room, the food was already being collected. Snow managed to snatch a scrambled egg and two pieces of bread to make a sandwhich before the parents started arriving. He was both eager and worried about seeing Benny. It felt wrong to have him on campus, no matter how much he missed the annoying guy. But miss him or not, he'll have to find a way to get rid of him if he ever were to ask the questions he had prepared to ask his parents.

The students each got themselves occupied with their respective families at separate tables. Snow waited while accompanying the ones whose parents hadn't shown up yet and even helped out a bit by handing out glasses of water. He found Michael speaking to an older woman in the corner and assumed her to be his mom. Freddie rested at a table with his chatting family. He also saw his other friends. Kylie had a conversation with her mom, Della and Miranda looked miserable the way they listened to their parents. Miranda had lost the giddy smile she always wore - he noticed that when they were paired up for Meet Your Campmate Hour. Snow suspected that neither Della or Miranda was comfortable with their families. Derek was having a conversation with his mom and Jenny and Mr. Yates - the science teacher, who also happened to be Jenny's older brother. Everyone was present, except Diego. Probably because he didn't have a family to visit from. Snow hurt for him.

Holiday came to his side just then.

"Is everything all right?" she asked and then hiccuped. "'xcuse me."

He shook his head. "Yeah, they're around the corner. I got a text from Benny and he said they were close to camp."

Holiday touched his shoulder and it brought a sense of peace. Snow immediately thought back to the other times she'd done that.

"Holiday, if you don't mind me asking," he said and slipped away from her touch. "Do faes have the power to control people's emotions?"

Her eyes widened in surprise. "You felt that? You felt my touch?"

That question pretty much confirmed his suspicion.

He shook his head. "No, I just noticed that everytime you touched me, I feel my emotions changing. Calming. It made me curious." And suspicious.

She grinned an oops-you-caught-me grin and nodded slowly. "Guilty. Faes are known for their ability to influence with people's feelings. But let me assure that we don't misuse this gift. Some faes don't even have it. We just use it to help others when they need it. To offer a peaceful touch to lighten their emotional burdens."

He nodded, but didn't like the idea of someone controlling his feelings. "I appreciate your honesty and everything you're doing. I really do. But in the future, I'd like it if you wouldn't try to control the way I feel. I believe that should be in my rights."

Her grin didn't falter. She just nodded in agreement. "Of course. Like I said, we don't misuse our gifts. But I do have warn you that emotional offering can be compelling to faes. Sometimes we do it without thinking, so I want you to understand if that happens."

He nodded. From now on, he'll have to make sure not to be in physical range with any faes. That included Helen and Derek.

"Look, there he is," Snow's dad said and pointed at him.

"Hey, man!" Benny bellowed with an excited smile.

Snow drew in a deep breath and walked toward them with Holiday tagging along. Benny drew him in for a tight hug before his parents.

"Mom, Dad, I'd like you to meet Mrs. James, she's the headmistress of this place," he introduced them. "These are my parents, and this is my friend Benny."

Holiday shook hands with his parents.

"It's such a pleasure to meet you," she said and twitched her eyebrows to study their brain patterns. Not that she would find anything on them. Then she hiccuped and burped once. "I'm sorry. Pregnancy issues."

His parents nodded sympathetically.

They settled at a table near one of the windows and his mom handed over his iPad. He noticed how every student and some of the parents in the room stole glances at them, twitched their eyebrows doing so. Probably trying to read something out of their brain patterns. Except they were human.

While they talked, Snow was partially distracted trying to device a way to get rid of Benny long enough to ask his parents the questions.

He didn't even notice Freddie was standing next to them until Benny said, "Who's this dude?"

"Hi, you must be Mr. and Mrs. White," Freddie greeted and shook hands with them. Then he twitched his brows. Just a light twitch.

"Um... Mom, Dad, this is Freddie, my roommate," Snow introduced. "And this is my best friend, Benny."

They shook hands, too.

"It's nice to meet you, Freddie," his mom said politely.

Freddie offered a friendly smile. "You, too. Well, I'll let you four talk. I'm gonna go back to my family."

As soon as he was gone, Benny leaned closer to Snow.

"New friend, eh?" he whispered.

Snow almost rolled his eyes. Having Benny at Shadow Falls suddenly felt like an even-worse-than-bad idea. And not just because he wanted to be alone with his parents, but because his behavior was flaunting all over the place.

He had to come up with some way to get rid of Benny for a moment.

"Benny, why don't you come meet some of my friends here," he suggested, trying not to sound desperate.

Benny raised his eyebrows, wrinkles appeared on his forehead. "Sure, I guess. Why not?"

"Come on. I'll be right back, Mom and Dad."

He looked around, looking for any particular individual who might not seem occupied with their families. And then, he spotted Diego leaned on a wall beside the door, looking directly at him. Benny saw him, too, and definitely noticed the way he glanced at them.

"Who's that weirdo?" he whispered.

Diego's eyes furrowed in anger and he mouthed _weirdo_. Snow knew he heard what Benny said, even though he was supposed to be out of earshot.

"Come on."

He pulled his friend's arm to lead him away before he could make further comments.

But it didn't stop him.

"Man, that boner looks like he could use a makeover to enter a Goth pageant."

Oh, no!

He looked over his shoulder and saw a very upset, red-eyed and fanged-out Diego. He knew that he heard them. Snow didn't like what Benny said either, but drawing attention to himself was the last thing he needed. And a fight between his best friend and... roommate, was simply not something he wanted.

_"Please don't" _and dragged Benny away before his friend could make further comments.

He didn't think Diego was following, otherwise they would've gone to fist city by the time they got to Kylie and her mom. And felt terrible about not defending Diego.

A brunette in her mid-thirties, Kylie's mom, he presumed, looked up at them.

"Hello, you must be Kylie's mom," Snow said casually and offered his hand. "I'm Snow. I'm new here."

They shook.

"It's nice to meet you, Snow." Her gaze shot to Benny. "And this is?"

"Benny," he introduced himself and waved a hand between him and Snow. "Best bud. He's only been here one week, but it feels like a month for some of us."

Kylie's mom snorted and shot a look at her daughter. "Tell me about it."

Kylie smiled back, then she gasped loudly like someone had reached into her mouth and yanked out all oxygen. Her eyes suddenly lost focus and rang terror, and two seconds later, they rolled back and she collapsed backwards.

"Whoa," Benny muttered in horror.

Snow watched in horror. What happened?

"Oh, my God. Kylie? What's wrong?" Her mom rushed around the table to her side in panic. But she didn't answer. Her eyes had folded themselves behind her eyelashes.

Snow went to Kylie's side to help carry her up. He touched her shoulders. Then before he knew it, a surge of eerie cold rushed from his touch up to his arm... and flooded through his entire body in one second. It happened so fast that he almost didn't have time to gasp. It wasn't the normal type of cold, either. The feeling was completely unfamiliar. Freezing. Dead. It made the hair on his neck stand up and his head numbed all senses. Air escaped his frozen lungs. He wanted to scream but the air had been sucked out. His hands, gripped on the unconscious girl's shoulders, stiffened. Then his knees buckled and he fell to the floor with a loud thump.

"Somebody help," he heard someone scream, but the voice sounded distant. He didn't know if it was Benny's voice or someone else's.

All the noises sounded distant. Far away.

"What's wrong with them?"

"Snow?"

"Snow..."


	17. Chapter 17

**CHAPTER SEVENTEEN**

When his eyes opened, he was inside what looked like a long main hall with a high ceiling and white painted walls. He was completely confused. His heart raced. He wasn't sure where he was, but it was definitely not school anymore. Maybe not even in Texas. _What's going on?_

_Must be a dream, right?_

A blond young woman appeared down the hall. He wanted to rush to her side with questions to ask. She saw him and smiled politely.

"Hello, professor Hall, how're you feeling today?" she asked.

_Who?_

He looked down and saw the strangest thing that could ever happen to anyone. He was wearing a woman's outfit. Black with white stripes, he looked like a woman of business. But what really shocked him was the big, round, balloon-sized belly. He touched it and felt a movement inside it. By the look of its size, he counted it up to eight or nine months.

Was he pregnant? Or had he suddenly become a woman? _How_ did this _happen_?

"I'm good, thank you," the words slipped out of his mouth, except he hadn't said anything. _What _is_ going on?_

It has to be a dream. This can't be real.

A gunshot sounded in the distance. They both looked at where the sound came from just as a group of people appeared in the hall running in panic. The gun went off again, this time louder. Whoever it was, he was getting closer. Panic rose in Snow's chest. The blond woman hid behind a nearby counter. Screams echoed from the hall. Angry screams. He wanted nothing more than to wake up right now.

_Wake up! Wake up! I don't want to be here!_

A heavy pain bumped from inside his stomach. He carried the bump with both hands as a new sense of fear flooded. Not fear for his own life, but fear for the baby moving inside him. He was suddenly so afraid for child he didn't know for reasons he couldn't immediately understand. Then he did. It was selfless love for one's child.

A roaring scream appeared at the end of the hall. Snow looked up and saw a bald young man of African features. His gaze lowered to the gun in the man's hand and gasped in panic.

"I don't want to hurt anyone," the man said, his tone ringing true and his eyes fixated on Snow. "I just want my scores to be corrected. I want my justice."

Snow felt for the man. But in spite of his compassion, the desire to protect his baby was stronger. He couldn't help this man without putting his own life and his baby's on the line. "Why are you doing this?" he asked, trying to stay calm.

"My project," he yelled. "I tried to hand it in, but by the time it was finished, I missed the deadline." The longer he spoke, the louder he got. "I tried to ask the professor for an extension, but he just told me to give it up. I worked really hard on the project, and he didn't even take a glance at it. And then he just said, 'I don't have time to waste on an African when I got thesis to write and papers to grade! It's not fair," he screamed and wiggled the gun.

Snow felt sorry for the man. Warring with preservation and compassion, he took a step forward. His hands carried his heavy belly at all times.

"I'm sorry this is so hard for you," he said softly. "I don't know what will help, but going around with a gun and threatening your professor will certainly not resolve anything. It's hard, I know. I understand because I suffered the exact same problems when I was your age. I lost my scholarship and my position at the university I was interning." _What am I saying?_

He didn't have an internship at a university. Did he? Those words were spoken through his mouth, but he hadn't said anything. Did that mean that he was living someone else's life?

The black man glowered at him. "Don't talk like you know what it's like!"

"I lost so much so quickly that I almost committed suicide," he went on. "I almost threw my life away. It's almost the same as what you're doing right now. Please, listen to me. If you continue to go on with the gun, the only sure thing you're going to get is a whole lot of trouble. Maybe it takes longer years before you graduate with a degree in your hand, but if you're willing to give that time, as long as you're willing to keep going, there will always be opportunities for you. But if you do this, all you'll ever do is close up your chances of graduating with flying colors."

The black man's expression softened. Snow drew in a deep breath and took a careful step forward as he held back his fear. "That's good. That's very good."

He slowly reached for the gun. A loud, unexpected shot fired from it and echoed right between Snow's feet. He jumped in panic and lost his footing, and fell backwards. The black man tried to reach for him, but he fell on the floor before he could reach him. Pain traveled to his spine and belly. He could feel his inside jittering, breaking. _Oh, my God._

"Oh, my God!" the black man said tearfully. He turned to the woman behind the counter. "Call for help!"

Snow carried his stomach. Something oozed out from his downside, but he didn't have to look. He already knew and feared it. His baby was dying. The child he was carrying, the child he didn't know he could love so much was dying from the inside and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

He cried. His heart tightened with emotion.

_No, please don't let this happen._

The black guy knelt down beside him and tried to pull him up. The pain worsened. It was like getting stabbed by a knife. And it was. Only much, much worse. His baby was dying. Whether it was his or not, he didn't care. He just wanted it to be okay.

_Oh, my God. Somebody help me! _He screamed mentally.

"Don't let my baby die," he pleaded to the ceiling, to whatever universal force that could hear his plea. "Please..."

The pain continued. He kept praying. _Let the baby live, please! Save my baby. Even if it means I have to give up my own life. I'll give my life for his as long as he lives. Please!_

* * *

Snow woke up in what he suspected to be Holiday's office. Or by the look of the tall wooden ceiling, he was at least back on campus. "You're okay," Holiday's low voice whispered over him.

His mind processed slowly as it tried to re-establish its position and remember... He shot up from the table he was lying on, and checked his now-flat belly. No longer round and huge. He softly pressed his hand on it. No baby. Air worked its way into his system as he tried to reassure himself that whatever that was was over. Questions started flooding his mind: _What's going on? What happened?_ And most of all, _how did it happen?_ There was no answer, just the aching emptiness and pain for whatever had happened. Even though the physical gut-wrench was over, the pain still choked in his heart like cardiac arrest. Tears blurred his vision and he had to fight to keep them from leaving his sockets.

"Are you okay?" he heard Holiday ask in a concerned voice. The bump on her belly instantly sent flashbacks of the vision. He looked away before the pleading voice returned. _"Don't let my baby die."_

He tried to focus on his surroundings and bounced into an air of concern that seemed to have contaminated the place. He could see concern flashing on his parents' faces. Benny. Freddie. Even Michael looked worried from his table. He started looking around the room for a particular face, but Diego was nowhere in sight. Part of him was disappointed: he craved Diego's presence right now. Needed it.

"Honey, what happened?" Snow's mom asked in a worried tone and put her hands on his shoulder. "Are you okay? You just passed out like that."

The impulse to tell everyone came strongly, but the realization of sounding like nutjob in front of his unsuspecting parents came as powerfully as a punch in the gut. Taking in a deep breath to calm himself, he touched his plain stomach again and thought back to the baby dying inside of him. Another punch went to his gut the same time a knife-cut went to his heart.

"I'm fine, Mom," Snow whispered as calmly as possible.

Behind his parents, he suddenly saw Kylie sitting on top of another table, looking equally distraught as her mom squeezed her shoulders in a tight embrace. Her friends watched on, and occasionally looked his way. Snow thought back to how the vision began and suspected she might have experienced the same thing. But how? She was the first to collapse. Did that mean she started the whole thing and dragged him into it?

"What happened, Snow?" his dad asked this time.

His mouth gaped open, but shut it just before the wrong words could come out. He only brainstormed for a split second for explanations. "Uh... I think I was a little tired. I did my homework late last night. I probably got tired without realizing it."

Holiday rested her hands on Snow's parents' shoulders. Their tense postures softened. Snow suspected that the principal was using her emotional control to calm them down. Right now, he wished that he could take back what he said before and let Holiday lift his emotional burden. Call him a hypocrite, but what can you do when you need something you don't want?

Holiday eyed at him sympathetically and - as if she'd read his mind, or his mood - softly stroked her palm on his shoulder. He could feel all the ugly feelings calming. The aching pain, the frustration, the confusion - everything washed away into a soothing wave. It allowed him to return to his current problems. But he will have to talk to Holiday - and possibly Kylie - about the out-of-body experience.

Things calmed down eventually and everyone went back to mingling amongst their families. Snow waited a few more minutes before suggesting to leave the lunch room and sit on the porch with his family. A part of him wanted some fresh air to think things through while another part of him was repulsed by the idea of drawing more uncomfortable attention to himself. Holiday showed a worried look when he left, but didn't try to stop him. Snow leaned against the porch ledge while his parents settled on two wooden chairs placed near the wall. Benny just sat on the stairs, partially blocking the way.

"What happened, dude?" Benny asked.

"I told you, I was tired," Snow answered quickly.

He shrugged in disbelief. "If you say so."

A few more seconds passed in silence. Snow's dad spoke first. "So, how's it been at this school? You like it?"

He nodded. "It's really something."

Benny snorted. "Yeah, all with the nature and freezing climate. I honestly don't know why you would pick this place over our old school."

Snow pursed his lips and looked away. His parents remained silent. None of them wanted Benny to know about the adoption. It wasn't something you could just tell anyone. Snow's chest swelled. It was then he realized how much things had changed.

In the past, there was nothing he wouldn't tell Benny, minus his sexual orientation. And as far as he knew, Benny never hid secrets from him. He even told him the first time he had sex before he told his parents - and for Benny, of course it came with remarks.

"I... it's complicated," Snow told his friend.

"Sure, I'll bet."

Snow pursed his lips harder.

"Benny, Snow has his own reasons for his decisions," Snow's mom interfered.

He looked at his mom and instantly thought back to the person he was a moment ago. He remembered the love he carried for the baby growing inside him, and the pain and fear of losing it even though his own life was at stake too. All he wanted in that moment was for the baby to be safe. He would choose its life over his own.

He recognized the same love from his mom. And he knew she loved him even though he wasn't hers. Then he instantly thought back to his birth mother. The fact that she abandoned him made it seem like she held no love for him. Maybe she gave him away because she didn't want him. But beneath all the questions, it boiled down to one. Why?

He needed to ask the questions, which means he had to get rid of Benny fast. Introducing him to new friends failed big time. Maybe a cute girl would do the better trick, except he'd already blown that, too.

Oh hell, what to do?Procrastinating the questions for another week was no option. He wanted answers. Needed them. Now more than ever. It seemed like telling straightforwardly was the only option left. "Um... Benny-"

The door opened behind them and a small group of guys shot out. Derek - the one with a basketball in his hands - shot a look them. He smiled a friendly smile, but somehow it didn't _feel_ friendly for real. "Hey, guys, you wanna join us for a game?" he asked. "The guys are gonna play for a good twenty minute while our parents hang out."

Derek's gaze shifted to Snow for a short second, then they deliberately moved to his parents.

_Oh, _Snow thought, catching up to what he was trying to do and appreciated it. "Why don't you go, Benny? I want some time to hang out with my parents. I'll join you later."

Chris came out and started running jogging - slowly for a vampire - toward the basketball court where the others were waiting. Benny shrugged.

"Sure, sounds awesome for Texas winter," he said and left the porch with Derek.

Taking in a deep breath, he refocused on his smiling parents.

"You know, you can join them if you want to," his dad said. "Your mom and I can hang and talk with the other parents and the teachers while you play."

His mom nodded in agreement. He shook his head violently. This was his only shot. It was better to use it than lose it. His parents must've felt his stress, because their expressions changed from humorous to anxiety. "I want to talk to you about something."

Fearing that someone with super-hearing might hear their conversation, he motioned for them to follow and they walked together around the office cabin till they reached the first treelines.

Snow made sure no one would be within earshot before he drew in a deep breath.

"Mom, Dad. I need to ask you about the day you found me."


	18. Chapter 18

**CHAPTER EIGHTEEN**

"Sweetheart, we already told you everything," his mom admitted.

He nodded. "Yes, I know. You told me that you were camping in Maine for your honeymoon when you found me. The paper told me as much. But is there anything else that you remember? Like seeing something when you found me?"

His parents didn't talk right away.

"Please, I want to know. I _need_ to know. It's been bugging me for weeks now."

Snow's dad glared at him for a moment, and then he said, "Snow, we didn't see anything before we found you. I wish that we could give you what you want, but there isn't."

"You mean you don't remember?" Disappointment flooded through him.

His mom looked away for a moment. When she refocused on him, tears had filled her eyes.

"We're so sorry, Snow," she said sincerely. "The night that we found you... we were camping by a small beach. Around midnight, the temperature had dropped to the point of snowing. It was the season. In Maine, it's always colder, but I remembered camping with my family there when I was a kid. We were getting ready to sleep when we heard a noise. It was a crying noise. The cry of a baby." She covered her mouth. Tears started running down her cheeks. Snow felt his eyes blurring with tears of his own. His dad didn't change posture, but his eyes were wet, too. "Your dad and I followed it," she went on. "And that's when we found you. You were just there in the water. I was so scared that you'd freeze to death. So I immediately brought you inside the tent. But you didn't look sick. You just..." She started sobbing. Snow ignored the tears dripping down his face. "You just looked at us with those adorable blue eyes as if the cold didn't bother you."

His dad's hand held hers.

"We tried to look for them, your real parents, but there was no sign of them at all," he said. "No footprints, no clues. No nothing. It was like you fell from the sky." _Not exactly, just stranded from the ocean._ "We even took you to the hospital and reported to the police. When they couldn't find anything, we decided to adopt you. We wanted to have children, but we found out that your mother was infertile before we got married. Still, I loved her so much that I didn't want to live my life without her."

His parents looked at each other with so much emotion that it touched Snow.

"We're so sorry, Snow," she apologized. "We tried to find them for you. We knew that one day you would find out that you weren't ours. We just didn't want to tell you until we knew you were ready. Until we knew you were old enough to handle it."

So many emotions swirled inside his chest that he found it hard to breathe. So they didn't know anything. Maybe that was the case - and he'll probably never stop trying to find his birth parents - but at least he knew this couple had given him something very valuable. A family.

Snow proceeded with the last of his questions. It was probably not quite as important, but he was still curious. "Why did you name me 'Snow'?"

His dad drew in a deep breath before he answered, "As soon as we brought you out of the water, it began to snow for the first time in the season. When we decided to adopt you, we wanted to remember the day you came into our lives. So we name you 'Snow' for the season."

Snow sobbed. Then, not wanting to fight the emotions storming inside him, he leaped from the ledge and wrapped his arms tightly around his parents.

"I love you so much," he whispered in their ears.

"We love you, too son," his dad whispered back.

Tears and sobbing reigned the moment. It wasn't awkward. It felt right. The moment was right. Snow's mom dropped a few tears on his shoulder, but that didn't bother him.

Relenting the questions, he pulled away and looked back at the office cabin.

"I think I'll go join the game for a while."

They nodded in agreement and walked him back to the basketball court. The emotional storm loaded inside Snow - sadness, joy, love, but also frustration and anger. He still had no clue as to where he came from. No, wait, he did know. He came from the ocean in Maine. Did that mean he will have to go back there to find out? Did he want the truth enough to travel that far? Yes. But the idea of traveling across the country to find the parents who probably didn't have registered name on databases made the possibility slim. He spent the next half hour directing his frustration to the game and took it all out on the ball and on the hoops.

"What happened with you and that Kylie chick?" Benny asked after they went back into the main room with Derek's group as the victorers. Probably because half of his group was formed by strong and fast vampires. Snow stole a quick glance around the big room and saw about half a dozen of eyes and ears turned their way, including Burnett's, and Snow knew that they were listening. _Eavesdropping freaks,_ he thought and said with all honesty, "No idea. Think she got a little sick."

"Oh, come on," his friend pushed. "You really think I buy that? She collapsed right before you did, and you didn't fall over until you touched her." He looked around, and saw the eyes peaking their way. "Are they trying to eavesdrop on us or something?"

You have no idea,

Snow thought and scoffed.

"I hear they do some seriously freaky stuff here," Benny whispered, ignoring the uncomfortable stares. "Like the occult and some drugs. Is that girl on drugs?"

"No, she's not on drugs." His voice grew edgy.

Benny, obviously missing his tone, eyed at the students and their families. "Man, about half a dozen of them look freaky just by their clothes. Honestly, I don't know why you would choose to come here and live with these people. They say this place used to be called 'Bone Creek Camp'. Seriously, I think either name is odd. What's the deal?"

Snow's frustration grew like fire burning up a chimney. "Benny, they're here to learn about themselves. This school is made to help the gifted in ways other people can't understand."

His friend snorted and made a crooked smile. "Gifted freaks, you mean. My cousin told me this place is completely wacko, even the faculty is a little off. It's definitely not a place for you. Come on, man, come back to school with me. We need you at Nationals. Win the trophy again. These guys don't need you here and you certainly don't need to be here."

He shook his head. "Benny, I'm not going back. I've come to like this place, all right?"

Benny scoffed and Snow knew it was beginning. The insult. "What? You wanna be a 'boner' instead of a national champion? You really gotta pick better friends."

Snow glowered at him, his fire burning to the top. "Would you shut up, Benny? Why are you always like this? Can't you stop being a jerk for just two minutes? This place is not what you think it is. Just because some stupid website says this school houses troubled teens doesn't necessarily mean everything it says is true. And why can't you try to understand my reasons?"

Benny glared at him. "What reasons? You never told me your reasons. And you're calling me a jerk now? Who are you to call me that?" His voice grew louder by every word. "In case you've forgotten, you were there when they dunked a kid's head in the toilet. You were enjoying yourself watching it."

"Aha, right, and that's why you were enjoying it so much," Snow said through his grinding teeth. "You really think I liked it? I hated what you did. I hated everytime I saw you or the other guys pick on the other kids. Did you _ever_ see me do the same thing? I only sat on the sidelines because you were my friend."

Everyone was looking their way now, including Snow's parents.

"So what? You're saying that you don't wanna be my friend anymore? You know what, you're the one who needs a reality check. Until I became your friend, you were nothing but a little kid that others teased for his name. You think I don't remember what you used to be called? Don't go around thinking that you were worth anything without me."

Snow fisted his hands. He wanted to punch this guy so much, but at the same time, he knew fighting would get him in trouble. Yet...

"I guess you were right, this place really is for the freaks. And if you don't like me being one of them, you probably shouldn't come anymore."

Benny scoffed again and pushed him. "What? Now you wanna get rid of me? You want me to get out because you became friends with these people?" He gave another shove, adding to Snow's rage like it was entertainment. It was just like all the other times he watched his friend enjoy himself tormenting the angry kids. Benny was about to push him again when Burnett caught his wrist and pulled him away.

"That's it," the vice headmaster roared with an angry voice, "You're not welcome here anymore. Get out."

Benny glared at him cockily. "What? Are you here to protect Princess Snow White?"

That did it.

Snow shot forward with his fist toward Benny's face, only to be caught by Burnett's super-strong grip that locked him in place.

"No fighting!" he yelled with a scary voice that promised violence. "Or I'll be sure to give you some very bad-ass attitude myself. And you don't wanna see my bad side." He released Snow's hand in a swing. "And you. If you start fighting, I'll throw your ass out of here like I'm about to do with your friend."

Frightened by Burnett's words, he remained still, but the desire to punch Benny hung on badly. The bloodlust boiled like acid in his veins. There was nothing to stop it.

Burnett released Benny in a very unpleasant gesture.

"Go," he said sharply. "And don't say a word."

Benny shot an angry glare at Snow. He opened his mouth.

"_Not_ a single word," Burnett seethed, obviously was on edge of literally losing his temper, and pushed Benny out the door.

A cold hand landed on Snow's shoulder. The cold touch was comparable to Burnett's grip, but also different. He looked over and saw a red-eyed but restrained Diego standing right next to him.

"Want me to kick his ass for you?" he asked.

The idea had Snow smiling, but this was his own battle to fight. And somewhere deep down, he was hurting. Benny had been his best friend since junior high school. And their friendship just ended with a fight. It changed so quickly, just like everything else in his life, that he didn't have time to process.

Snow turned to find his parents - and bumped into a hundred sets of eyes looking his way. Sensitive hearing or not, everyone had heard his argument with Benny. In that moment, he wished that he could just vanish into thin air. Away from the eyes staring at him. This was not the kind of spotlight anyone would've wanted. Suddenly his new life at Shadow Falls didn't feel so comfortable anymore.

"I'm sorry I made such a big scene," Snow apologized to his parents after he walked them to the gate.

The rest of the day went by fairly quickly after Benny left, and then it was time for the parents to leave. Benny had called a _friend_ to pick him up downtown, since riding with his parents didn't seem right.

Burnett had demanded to see Snow in Holiday's office afterwards to give him a lecture. Getting scolded by the vampire was not a good thing, not that he didn't deserve it. No matter the reason, misbehaving on campus in front of your family wasn't acceptable. Not to mention totally embarrassing to your parents.

When Della's family walked past them, he could swear Della's dad gave him a judgmental look. No doubt, he was the kind of parent who cared about pride and position, and he just made the judgment call.

Snow sighed. He hugged his parents and watched them drive away. He wanted the day to be over, but knew hoping was futile. When he entered the office cabin, Burnett and Holiday were already waiting. Burnett's eyebrows cringed and made temples in the center.

"Sit," he ordered with a restrained voice.

Snow obeyed immediately.

"I know your friend was out of line, but you shouldn't have given the first punch," the vamp scolded.

He nodded. "I'm sorry, sir. It won't happen again."

"You're right it won't happen again," he seethed, "because until he learns to show some respect, he's not welcome here anymore. And I'm not just talking about your little tiff. People don't just make snide comments for fun."

He nodded again. Holiday touched Burnett's shoulder, and magically relented his angry scolding.

"Now there's something else we need to discuss," she said softly. "Did your parents tell you where you come from?"

_I wish, _he thought and admitted, "They said I was abandoned on a little beach when they were camping. Around midnight or so, they heard me crying, so they brought me to a hospital. They said they couldn't find my real parents, so they decided to adopt me."

Frustration started building up in his chest again. He wanted something to punch, something to take out his anger. "I just hate not knowing." The words sounded like a hiss.

Holiday reached over her desk, but then halted when she remembered his request about altering his mood and retracted. He wasn't sure if he wanted to feel the way he felt, but didn't say it.

"I'm sorry, Snow," she said instead. "I know this must be hard for you."

He snickered though nothing about it was funny.

"Now, there's something else we need to discuss." Holiday's sore expression made him suspect that whatever she was about to say could be serious. "When Kylie had a vision, you experienced it, didn't you?"

Snow looked at her widely. "Vision? You mean, I had a vision about being a woman?"

Burnett settled down on the edge of her desk with the same uncomfortable look that was surely on Snow's face.

She shrugged. "You tell me. Kylie was pulled into a vision by a ghost who she thinks had lost her baby. You were touching her when you fainted, and when you came to, I sensed all of your distress and your pain like you just went through something horrible." Her tone rang surprise and astonishment, only he wasn't so impressed himself. "Do you remember anything from the vision?"

The earlier feelings came crawling back in. He fought to find the scary memories and explained them. "I remember a very eerie cold rushing through my body. It happened so fast that I had no idea what was happening. And then I was at some kind of university, talking to a woman. Then someone fired a gun and everyone was running. But I just stood there, and I consolled the shooter." Tears stung his eyes as the most painful memory returned. "The gun just went off beneath me and I was on the floor. I felt... I could feel a baby in my stomach. I could feel things breaking from my inside, and I was so scared." He fought to keep his voice steady. "And, um, next thing I knew... I was staring at the ceiling in the lunch room."

Holiday touched his hand and offered an emotional reprieve. Burnett and Holiday exchanged a look. For a moment, the room had no sound but her hiccup.

"You think he sees ghosts?" Burnett asked.

That question had Snow's heart racing. Tears stung his eyes, but Holiday's warm touch kept them at bay.

"I don't think so, he hasn't shown any other sign of being able to do so," Holiday answered and hiccuped twice. "Perhaps he's psychic or a telepath."

Snow's eyes widened. "But I wasn't reading Kylie's mind, and I know I've never been able to do so before."

She shrugged and pulled back her hand. The second her touch left, the ugly emotions started their way back in.

"No, but you were receiving her vision. Maybe when you focused on her, you accidentally intercepted it. I've only seen it a few times, but some telepathic supernaturals can access someone else's psychic power if their power is strong enough. It's kind of like a power outlet and you get access to a number of machines with a multi plug socket." She held out her hand. "Here, why you don't try it on me. Focus on my mind."

Snow shook his head. He didn't want to do it again, plus he didn't know if it really worked. Or if it was safe. "I'm not sure if that'll work. I mean, it could've been something that came from chameleon powers."

Burnett nodded once. "Possibly, but it could also be one of your gifts that you haven't discovered yet. No matter what, it doesn't hurt to try."

Snow sighed in defeat and took Holiday's hand. Nothing happened. He focused on Holiday's touch and on her mind. Still nothing.

"Nothing. See? That proves it, I can't read minds."

"Maybe I should try some calming medicine for mamas. The baby's been eager to flip around in my stomach lately." He heard Holiday say. Except... she didn't move her mouth.

She glanced sheepishly at Burnett. _Man, he could use a shave. His mustache keeps prickling my face._

Oh, shit!

Snow's mind froze.

When Holiday looked back at him, her expression instantly changed to curiosity. "Do you hear something?" she asked hesitantly and her face blushed at her last remark about Burnett's mustache.

He let go and pulled right back. It took everything inside him to not freak out on that spot. Of all things that happened the past week, this added to the second top on his list.

Burnett stared at him with a curious look.

"I think your wife wants you to shave," Snow said under his breath.

Burnett eyed widely at his wife. Holiday looked away in embarrassment, but her eyes were gleaming with humor. Snow wished he could find some humor in any of this. He had powers growing inside of him, and apparently, he had no control over them. He had no one to teach him how to do it. The only ones who might know something were...

"Burnett, have you found information about merpeople?"


	19. Chapter 19

**CHAPTER NINETEEN**

Burnett's eyebrows pinched and made a dent right above his slope. He didn't speak for a long minute. Then he let out a huff and finally answered. "I did. There wasn't much I could find, but there were compendiums written down from the 1860s contained in the FRU's vault. Supposedly, merpeople had some kind of ability to magnify the capabilities of other supernaturals."

"What do you mean?" Holiday asked.

"They could make them stronger than they really were. Like for instance, they could make a fae feel emotions around them tenfold, many times more intense than any fae can really feel. Maybe even more than they could handle. The vampires in that century discovered about that aspect and openly hunted them for that purpose. They wanted to annihilate the werewolves and plotted to use merpeople to make themselves stronger. Then the werewolves found out and hunted them, too. That was how the Civil War started. All hell broke loose in a matter of days."

"How did they make them stronger?" Snow asked, eager and upset.

The bulky vampire shook his head. "The files I was able to dig up were very vague on that fact. There was no mention as to how they could do that, but for them to be hunted like that, I don't imagine it was an easy task. If it was, they would've just captured one or two, not the entire species."

Snow felt sick to the pit of his stomach by this new information. He felt both angry and sad for his people. All of them were supernaturals like the vampires and the werewolves, and yet they were viewed as tools. Was that how it worked in this world? One species abused the other until they wiped it out?

"I'm sorry, Snow," Burnett said sincerely.

He almost lied and said that he was fine. "Keep going, please."

Burnett hesitated for just one more second. "I'm not sure what happened afterwards, the files I was able to dig up were vague, but it said the merpeople just dropped off the face of the Earth like they didn't exist anymore. Witches had tried to find them in the past, but even with magic they couldn't find a single trace of them. The files that I found were actually written by the Wiccan Council. But since you're a merman, I guess we could say that they're not extinct, just in hiding like an endangered kind."

Holiday wore the sorrowful look on her face.

Snow wanted to burst. His people apparently still existed - he was living-breathing proof of that - and yet he had no way of finding them. Not because they were extinct, but because they were too scared to come out in the open. The other supernatural had them all hunted, enslaved, and abused until they reached a corner where they were scared off and escaped into the deepest depths of the oceans. And supernaturals weren't the only ones who scared them away, either. From the mythological documentaries he watched on Discovery Channel, humans in the early 19th century had captured mermaids and put them in fishtanks for circus performance, like they were some sort of animal they had acquired. Fiery anger worked its way up to his head the longer his thoughts lingered. Could no one treat them with respect? Humans had tried to capture them for profit. Supernaturals hunted them for domination.

His concern took a U-turn and went back to himself. He was one of them, but for some reason, they had abandoned him. Why? If it wasn't safe for merpeople to be near shore, then why did they leave him? Was he not wanted? Did his parents abandon him because he was their dead weight? Pain and anger boiled together in his heart like two badly mixed chemicals about to explode. His head filled with questions and yet no one could answer them. And the longer he thought about them, the more intense their weight became. He was seconds away from outburst.

"Snow!" Holiday called out to him, but he wasn't listening until an unexpected explosion snapped him out of his train of thought. He only turned fast enough to witness massive water burst out of the teapot on the bookshelf and splashed the room. A few drops landed on Holiday and Snow. Burnett took most of the blow. The teapot, impacted by the combustion, fell off the edge and landed on the ground.

Snow breathed deeply to calm himself, and wasn't doing a very good job. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

"It's okay, Snow," Holiday said and then winced at her belly and wrapped her hands around her belly.

Burnett immediately knelt beside her. "Are you okay?" he asked in a concerned tone. He didn't seem to notice the dripping on the tip of his long hair.

She nodded. "It was probably all the excitement. It upset the baby."

Snow felt guilty for causing pain to these people. Burnett, attention fully on Holiday, didn't so much as look his way. "Regardless, I'm taking you to the hospital," he said. "I'll call Kylie and have her manage the office and then I'll go get the car." Burnett flashed out of the office.

"Should I...?" Snow started to ask.

Holiday was too busy holding her belly to answer. Snow's mind floated between leaving the office and staying in case she needed help. Then Burnett flashed back in to support his wife to the door. The way his right hand caressed her shoulder and carried her hand with his left looked like he would literally carry her in his arms if she couldn't walk. He suddenly stopped and looked over his shoulder at Snow. "Stay here until Kylie comes. I believe you two have something to talk about."

Snow figured he meant the vision, but didn't look forward to the conversation. He was sort of amazed though, that the man had managed to concern about things other than his wife.

Burnett and Holiday were gone in seconds. Snow tried to make up for his part in causing Holiday's distress by drying up the wet bookshelf with his magic. Like earlier, the magic worked without a hitch. If only the rest of his life could work out without so many hitches.

To his surprise, Kylie didn't show up alone. Miranda and Della also followed. When he asked for any particular reason they wanted to help, Della almost had a fit when Miranda answered for her.

"She's trying to avoid Steve. I'm simply here to help. Especially after my mom's visit, I could use something to take my mind off."

It seemed like parents day hadn't worked out for some of them. Kylie probably had it the easiest. Her mom knew about her supernatural identity; her grandparents weren't here today, but she told him once that they were busy tending to the other chameleon compounds' business that they couldn't make it. The same went for her stepdad, whom her mom divorced after a 'complex family situation'. Snow knew better than to pry, so he stopped the conversation there and went to the next topic. One he didn't look forward to.

"Do you mind if I ask you a question, Kylie?" he asked hesitantly.

Kylie nodded with a nervous look.

"Do you... do you get these visions... alot?" He wasn't sure if he could've said it better, but this kind of question doesn't pop up everyday.

Her face turned blank. A moment later, she nodded hesitantly. "Sometimes. It only happens when they want to show me something. To give me a clue." Then she said again. "Holiday said you passed out when you touched me. She thought that maybe you had the vision, too."

"Did you?" Della asked.

The images replayed themselves in his mind. The pain of that experience came back. He nodded.

"I was a woman, a professor, and I was... pregnant."

Miranda and Della stared at him with wide eyes like he had gone crazy. After everything that happened, he felt like he was half way there.

"Then there was a gunshot and you fell on the floor?" Kylie asked with a shocked expression. He nodded again. "Did you feel something dying inside?"

Della held up her hands and complained, "Okay, can you two please wait until I'm outta the room before you discuss ghosts?"

Obviously not many people had an interest about talking about ghosts. Snow wondered how many legends about death angels were real and how many were myths. The past three weeks had been an eye-opener, and you could bet that not everything was as true as the stories said.

He ignored Della. "I felt it. And I kept begging for the baby to be okay. I _wanted_ it to be okay."

Della and Miranda left the room, but Snow and Kylie didn't pay attention to them.

"Do you see the dead, too?" she asked curiously.

_God, no. _He shook his head. "The only time I ever saw something is when I'm underwater, and there was just this mermaid showing up occasionally. Other than that, I've never actually seen anything else. And Holiday just found out for me that I have some telepathic thing going on, meaning I must've accessed your vision by accident when I touched you."

She blinked. Della came back in and stared at him with eyes so wide they almost fell out of their sockets. Miranda followed, but she wore a confused look. "What's wrong?"

"No wonder," Kylie said thoughtfully. "Usually ghost-whisperers can only see the spirits they've formed a connection to, and other ghost-whisperers won't be able to see them unless that connection is broken." She eyed at him abruptly with a look of embarrassment and asked with a shuddering look. "Do you hear thoughts right now?"

He shook his head, relieved that he wasn't hearing anything. "I don't know exactly how it works, but I think it happens when I touch someone. I tested it on Holiday."

Kylie relaxed.

The office phone beeped in that moment and Kylie grabbed it. "Shadow Falls, Holiday James' office." Pause. Her lips curled up into a smile and she exhaled in relief. "Okay, thanks, Burnett. I'm glad to hear it. I'll see you when you get back." She hung up and looked at the three of them delightfully. "Burnett wanted to check in and tell me that Holiday and the baby are okay." Relief washed over her voice.

"Thank God," Miranda said.

Even Della seemed relaxed by the news. Snow relaxed a little bit too, but the guilt was still weighing down his shoulders.

"It was my fault. If I hadn't blown the teapot, she wouldn't have been distressed at all."

Instead of being resentful, Kylie offered a sympathetic grin. "The important thing is that she and the baby are all right. And if it makes you feel any better, I did some crazy stuff while I was here as well."

"Like what? Melting ice, getting a tail and making water explode?" he said in an attempted humorous tone.

She laughed.

"Something like that. My brain pattern did a lot of crazy stuff. One minute it was unreadable, the next it was moving and changing. Then all of a sudden, I'm shifting from one species to another. Everyone just wouldn't stop staring at me. Then I find myself invisible and then I'm glowing."

Whoa. The same sound escaped his mouth as it did in his thoughts. Snow's eyes grew so wide that he almost felt them falling out of their sockets.

Kylie's smile fell down and formed a slight frown. "Yeah, everyone looked at me like I was some sort of freak."

Della and Miranda went to her side. Della gently patted Kylie's shoulder, and Miranda gave a sympathetic smile.

Feeling bad for the girl, Snow offered the one thing he could, "At least you won't have to worry about getting a tail when you get splashed. Nowadays, I don't even think I can take a shower without losing my legs. Sooner or later, Burnett and Holiday are gonna have to go to the extent of getting me a bathtub in the cabin. Oh, and did I tell you that Freddie kept pressuring me to show my tail last night?"

Miranda and Della laughed.

Kylie's frown lit up to form a slight grin. "You don't have to do that to make me feel better."

_Maybe, but I'd like to cheer you up, _Snow thought. Then an idea formed itself in his head and he aimed his hand at the teapot. Invisible energy oozed from his palm. When the energy turned to a liquid feel, he knew that water was in his grasp and bent it to his will. Water started flowing out from the mouth of the teapot and flew toward him like artistic linings. All three girls stared in astonishment as he held out his other hand and willfully wrapped the liquid into a ball.

He carefully distanced his hands from each other and with that the ball expanded like energy. When they moved back toward each other, it shrunk.

The girls watched on in bewilderment. Miranda's jaw dropped and looked like she was gonna drool. Snow held the ball up high and willed it to separate into thousands of tiny particles. The room was instantly filled with flying water.

"Cool," Della crooned.

The girls looked and laughed as if they were at the most rocky concert of all times, and the performance exceeded their wildest imaginations. Miranda reached out to grab some of the droplets. The lightbulb above shone down on them and the light reflected across the room. Snow had to admit that it was astonishing, even to himself. Finally he wrapped his fingers into fists and steamed off the tiny particles. The few droplets that were left behind, he pulled them into a small ball and shoved it through his mouth and down his throat.

"That was so cool," Della murmured with her jaw open. "How did you do that?"

Miranda snickered. "I had no idea mermen could do that. Then again, I've never actually met one before. But Della's right, that was just _so_ cool."

Ditto. He had always felt different, like he never truly belonged anywhere except with his parents. But this power showed just how beneficial it was to be different. And Shadow Falls was a place for everyone different to be themselves. A place where they didn't have to pretend to be anything else. In the past, he had been accepted by others because of his popularity that came with being on the swim team and the stardom that followed when he won the Nationals trophy, but somewhere deep down he never really felt belonged. He was an alien hiding in plain sight.

So this was new to him. He was accepted for who he was and didn't even have to work for it, even though it came with drawbacks. Now, if only he could find all of his answers, he might truly find his place in this family. The joyful emotions took a downturn when his mind unwittingly thought of Benny and then to their fight.


	20. Chapter 20

**CHAPTER TWENTY**

Dinner was as uncomfortable as Snow worried. Over fifty sets of eyes in the dining hall looked his way when he walked in. He knew they weren't just checking out his pattern; the curiosity was evident on their expressions. Nope, this time they were more curious about him.

Hey, with him passing out in a room full of parents and students, and starting a riot with his supposed best bud, rumors and shit like that were bound to stir. And he loathed it. It was bad enough when everyone stared at him during breakfast and lunch, and now they were gawking during dinner. He wanted to skip the meal tonight, but he also knew that running wouldn't do any good. He was bound to face the consequences eventually and it was better done head-on.

Snow was waiting in line at the counter to get his food when a cold but familiar hand touched his shoulder.

"Are you alright?" Diego asked, his voice and expression filled with concern.

His breath pricked at his cheek, and that little repulsive blood wind seemed to draw him in. His gaze went down Diego's throat, and dang it if he wasn't wearing a V-shaped green T-shirt, because now he was fixed on the bare-skin of his collarbone. The shirt wasn't too tight, it was just enough to fit his physique.

"I heard about what happened with Kylie and your friend," he continued.

A downfall of emotional trauma destroyed his fixation. He considered nodding and telling a lie, but realized that he would hear his heartbeat.

"I'm getting better," he said instead and turned back to the counter to get a ham. Then, recalling Benny's comment earlier, he faced him again. "I'm sorry about Benny."

Diego shrugged nonchalantly. "I'm over it. It's not like it was your fault. I could see how torn up you were. So lets not talk about this. Deal?"

"Deal." Snow spotted Kylie's group over Diego's shoulder and a new question popped up. "Kylie invited me to sit with her and her friends. Do you wanna join me?"

He grinned as if delighted by his invitation. "Sure, I just hafta get my blood."

Kylie's friends talked about basically any topic but today's incident, for which Snow was grateful. He hadn't wanted to discuss anything. Plus, he had had a hard time to focus with Diego sitting beside him. Every now and then, he would steal glances at the vampire. How intriguingly handsome he was. His eye occasionally moved down to look at the bare chest pulsing underndeath that fabric of green T-shirt; the way it moved made him wonder how it'd feel to lean on it and feel its movements. But at least it was good distraction. Things rose surprisingly when Freddie came to join their table and asked everyone about playing baseball tomorrow. Miranda and Della started bickering again when Della insulted her offer to trim Jenny's hair with a spell, saying that the last time she tried one like that, she accidentally turned someone's cat into a skunk for a month. Derek had to break them up with his influence over their anger. Every now and then, he noticed how Della stole glances at the shape-shifter Steve, who was sitting with his fellow shape-shifters. But when he looked at her, she turned away. Snow also noticed how Kylie kept looking at her phone, probably waiting for a call or text from Lucas. He hadn't shown up during the parents' visit, and he couldn't remember seeing the werewolf since this morning.

"Is everything okay with you and Lucas?" Snow asked without thinking. Then he realized that he was butting into someone else's business, "It's all right, you don't have to answer."

"No, it's okay," she said. "We're fine. He's just having a meeting with the Werewolf Council, and I haven't heard from him."

He nodded. Then a new question came up in his head, and he asked again without thinking. "He's on the Werewolf Council?"

She nodded. "He got on last year."

Della grunted. "Sure wasn't easy, and he had to go through a _whole_ lot of trouble before those geasers finally let him on."

Kylie gave her friend a sharp look and said, "Della, no." Her voice had a stabbing edge to it.

Della shrugged nonchalantly and proceeded to drink her glass of... blood. Snow looked at Diego, who was sitting beside him, and saw him do the same. Blood.

A sound of opening door reached Snow's ears. He looked over shoulders and spotted Lucas walking in with his sister Clara in tow. Kylie turned around and gleamed with smile at the sight of her boyfriend. He didn't smile, though. If anything, he looked concerned. Snow remembered their argument about ghosts this morning. Perhaps he heard about what had transpired while he was away and was now upset with Kylie for not listening to him. But could he really blame her for something that was part of her? He wasn't sure, but it would be totally uncool if Lucas did blame her. Heck, he experienced it himself and even though he didn't like it, he had found little understanding to the job she was given.

* * *

Snow and Diego and Freddie headed back to their cabin after dinner while everyone else hung out at the large cabin next to the library. Diego occasionally glanced his way, but otherwise kept a good distance behind Freddie. The rest of dinner passed fairly quickly, but not without incident. Everyone kept stealing glances at Snow every two or three minutes, and though he tried to ignore them, the gawking was utterly annoying and uncomfortable. Della noticed his posture and stood up from her seat, threatening everyone with Miranda's ability to give anyone who peaked the worst case of pimples they'd ever seen. Which they had, according to Helen, when Miranda put the hex on a shape-shifter named Nikki. The poor girl had a crush on Perry, and Miranda lost her temper once. While he didn't know how bad it was, he suspected it to be _really_ bad, because everyone looked away in a blink of an eye and didn't so much as peak at him again.

"I can't believe Della did that," Freddie complimented. "She's _so_ cool. Even that other vamp girl Alexa can't compare to that. And she's hot, and that's saying something."

Diego snickered. "I heard that witch girl Snea mention how intimidated she was by Della. And you know, that's saying something, too, because she's known for casting transfiguration spells on people."

Snow couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to see a witch use magic. So far, he had witnessed faes sense and change people's emotions, and one of them moved objects with his mind; vampires fly in the air and run like a speeding bullet, and he got a nose blood to prove how strong they were; shape-shifters changing form back and forth; and a chameleon talk to the air, change back from a huge seal and have scary visions. But he hadn't seen a witch do magic yet. For some reason, he felt that it was important to know how they did it.

His phone buzzed with an incoming call and surprised reign when he check the caller's name.

"Mr. Richards?"

Diego and Freddie waited a few feet ahead.

_"Hey, Snow. It's been a while."_

"Yeah, it has. Is everything okay?" He felt guilty for not calling the teacher since he came to camp.

"Yes, I just wanted to see how you were doing. I called the principal's office this morning and Mrs. James told me that you found out what you are."

_Nosey, _Snow thought and rolled his eyes just before the hurtful feelings started coming back to the surface.

"Yeah, I saved a kid from drowning, and then there it was," he explained. "Apparently, I'm a merman."

_"Wha... you're..."_

"Yeah, that was pretty much my reaction. Since no one's seen a merman or mermaid for over a century, I'm a rare find." Wanting to end the call without sounding rude, he rushed for an excuse. "Listen, Mr. Richards, I need to get going. I have an assignment due tomorrow."

_"Okay, I'll hear from you later, then."_

"Bye, sir." He hung up.

"Liar, liar, burns on fire," Diego sang humorously.

"I didn't lie. I did find out when I rescued that kid. You know that."

"Yes, I do. I meant you were using that assignment excuse to get out of talking to that Richards guy. But no worries, your secret's safe with me. And Freddie."

Freddie nodded.

The vamp came forward and gently patted Snow's shoulder. It didn't last long and definitely wasn't enough, but some of the ugly feelings started to fade away. Diego cared about him and that knowledge gave him a touch warmer than the real one.

His lips curled up to a tiny smile.

"Who was that anyway?" Freddie asked.

"My old English teacher, the one who told me I wasn't human." The memory of the eventful day flashed in his mind. Surprisingly, it was that day that everything changed. Everything in his old life. Today was such a big reminder of that. His parents turned out to be his adoptive parents; Benny was his best bud no more; and whenever he jumped into water, a tail would appear on his lower body. Yes, his whole life had changed. But if it hadn't, he would never have known about the paranormal blood running in his veins, the powers and the fishtail hidden inside him. If he hadn't found out the truth, he would never have come to Shadow Falls and his new friends would never have met him. He never would've met Diego or Kylie or any of the wonderful people. Was he willing to give it all up? He wasn't so sure.

"Oh, the half-fae teacher."

He nodded.

Diego made an unexpected move; he pressed his index finger to his lips and made low shushing sound and then sniffed the air. He swung around so swiftly that it was a blur in the darkness. Snow felt tension tightening the vamp's muscles as he glared into the dark forest, and his own starting tensing.

"What's wrong?" Freddie asked in a whisper.

"Weres," he whispered back, "and not from here."

Snow walked forth to stand beside him and noticed the golden glow in his irises. Snow's phone suddenly buzzed again.

"Turn it off!" Diego hissed, fangs elongated underneath his lower lip.

He did. But it was too late.

Behind the trees in the dark forest, a tall figure emerged. Diego hissed louder at the intruder.

"I wouldn't do anything rash if I were you," the figure warned.

Diego took a step forward and raised his arm protectively in front of Snow and Freddie. Snow knew he was stronger than them but that didn't stop him from worrying.

The worry intensified when others emerged from the darkness. From left to right, more and more masculine adult-looking individuals appeared. These wolves were unfamiliar. Definitely intruders. 10. 12. 15. Snow didn't know how many they were, but he didn't need counting to know that they were outnumbered. By a lot.

Freddie stiffened beside him. Diego snarled like an angry animal. The weres growled with a hint of enthusiasm like they had driven a group of prey into a corner. Panic and bloodlust warred against each other inside Snow. Their strengths were equal. He wasn't sure if he should pull Diego and Freddie into a scrambling run or stay and fight to certain death. Trouble had never been his favorite; at his old high school, he only watched when others of his team bullied the smaller kids. He hated treating others like they were sandbags waiting to get punched in the center. And as of this moment, it was trouble had gotten enough of his aversion and decided to come running to tangle him up like wires.

The leader raised his hands in polite manner. "There now," he said. "Take it easy. We're not here to cause trouble." His tone sounded more fake than his movements. "We're here to see my son and my daughter."

"So talk. They're right here," a new, familiar voice sounded in the distance.

Snow looked behind himself. A group of werewolf students emerged from the other side of the pathway. Among the front were Michael and Fredericka: Lucas walked before the others like a leader. Which he was. Kylie came out with the pack and walked toward him. Standing behind her was Lucas's sister, Clara. Lucas shot Kylie a warning gaze, but she didn't so much as flinch. If anything, she was even more determined to stand by him. Like yesterday, when she jumped into the river without so much as halting. Snow realized that she was brave. She put everyone else's well being before her own. Lucas made a low growling noise and gave the intruders a fierce look.

"Hello, son," The leading intruder greeted, but his tone wasn't all that polite. "Clara. Kylie." The way he inclined to Kylie wasn't exactly one of enthusiasm. Snow suddenly had the sense that he didn't like his son's girlfriend much. Not that he knew for sure.

Kylie returned the gesture. "Mr. Parker." She glanced at Snow and his friends with worried looks.

Lucas's dad turned to the wolves behind him. "Leave. Go stand behind the fence. I want to have a chat with my children. Between six eyes."

They backed away a few feet, slowly. Lucas spoke without looking away. "Will, call Burnett and tell him I have found the _visitors_ and that I will take care of them. Kylie, why don't you go back to the cabin with the others."

She gave a worried look. This time, he glanced at her. The way they bore into each other's eyes reminded Snow of Burnett and Holiday's eyesharing. Like they were the only two people on this earth. For a short second, he thought back to the few times when he was alone with Diego. That was sort of the way he felt when they were alone. Lucas nodded encouragingly. With a sigh of defeat, she gestured to Snow, Diego and Freddie and started walking down the path. Toward the opposite direction of their cabin. But they had to get away from these rogue werewolves.

"We're heading back to our cabin," Freddie pointed out.

Diego didn't so much as move an inch. His eyes focused intently on the intruding weres, and so Snow found himself caught between staying with him and leaving. Freddie made a wrong move as he took a step toward their cabin. And then five things happened at once: one of the intruders rushed toward him in a blurry speed; Diego darted in front of Freddie and the were, snarling through his elongated fangs with promises of violence if the wolf pushed him to it; Snow rushed forward and tried to sandwich himself between Diego and the snarky wolf, his own bloodlust fizzed despite his terror. Diego willfully raised his arm to keep him back; Kylie then grabbed Snow's arm and pulled him back, along with Freddie and Diego, with a strength level that should've been beyond her small figure and replaced herself in Diego's position; Lucas came forward and stood protectively in front of Kylie, his throat froze as if he were barely containing a growling rumble. His cool expression replaced with anger and protectiveness, with evidence showing in the orange glow covering his irises. It was like everyone wanted to take protective position. The rogue growled and his eyes glowed as well. Lucas and Diego, and some of the other wolves growled like predatory animals about to attack each other for the biggest slice of meat. Even Freddie released an animalistic rumble from his mouth.

Tension grew in the air like a thin thread about to be cut. Snow worried for the outcome. To his surprise, it was Michael who broke the silence. "You said you aren't here to cause trouble, so don't go back on your word!"

"Milo, let them go," Lucas's dad ordered.

The wolf, Milo, relaxed and stepped back with slow shallow steps. Relief began washing over Snow and his tensed muscles slowly relaxed, as did everyone else's. Until a new figure dropped down from the sky. Everyone but the intruders, who were snarling now, recognized the new stranger.

_Oh, shit. This is_ really_ bad,_ Snow thought in panic.

The tension came back tenfold.


End file.
